The Lost Summer
by Belcris
Summary: Harry won the war! So, why is he sitting all alone at Grimmauld Place while everyone else is off celebrating, or planning his life? Well, maybe it's time our hero took a little vacation and enjoyed the lost summer.
1. Chapter 1

**The Lost Summer**

_By: Belcris_

_Summary: Harry won the war! So, why is he sitting all alone at Grimmauld Place while everyone else is off celebrating? Well, maybe it's time our hero took a little vacation and enjoyed the lost summer. _

_Harry Potter created by: JK Rowling _

_I do not own these characters and I do not seek to profit from this story. However, If I did own it, Ginny would always be hot, Hermione would always be sexy, and Gabrielle would be several years older and wearing lots of lace and satin._

_WARNING: This story contains scenes of extreme silliness, perverted humor, and mood swings too fast to see. You have been warned that this is not to be taken too seriously._

_Category: AU. Comedy. Romance._

**Language Guide:**

English will generally not be italicized.

_French will always be italicized._

**Chapter 1: Boredom**

Harry Potter was bored. No, that would be like saying the ocean was a little damp. He had passed boredom almost a week ago and was well on his way to being absolutely and utterly apathetic. That really wasn't a good thing for him to be right now. It was the summer after his defeat of Tom Riddle, better known as Voldemort, and it was supposed to be the best summer of his life. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked out that way so far.

Originally the plan was for him to accompany Hermione and Ron to retrieve her parents, but with the blossoming of their new relationship Harry had stepped aside in order to allow them some time together. This was directly the cause of his boredom. Not wanting Mrs. Weasley to know that her youngest son was going to be spending a great deal of time alone with a girl, translated to shagging like mad, Harry had not told her that he was tagging along. This meant he was unable to go anywhere near the Weasley's, including Ginny, and dared not step foot in any magical settlement in England for fear of the press splashing his face all over the papers. So, here he sat, alone in Number 12 Grimmauld Place except for a slightly barmy old house elf.

"This bites," muttered Harry as he finished cleaning yet another old room by hand. "This was supposed to be a great summer, but I'm sitting here like a lump while everyone else it celebrating. How fair is that?"

Cleaning the rooms by hand was just a distraction to keep him busy, but even that proved to be a waste as it really just gave him more time to wallow in his boredom. Probably not the best thing for him considering he had already begun discussing the merits of painting Sirius' old room purple with Kreacher. No, boredom was a bad thing right now, but it seemed to be Harry's only option, at least till Ron and Hermione got back. It wasn't as if he could go take a vacation of his own while they were gone.

Could he?

Now that was an interesting idea. After making amends to the Goblins he had been informed that the Potters and the Blacks both had considerably more money then he was previously aware of. In point of fact, he was bloody stinking fabulously rich, at least according to his account manager, Grabass. Yes, he had an account manager named Grabass, which in and of itself was shocking, but the news that he was the wealthiest person in all of Europe and Great Britain had stopped the snickering at the Goblin's name. Add to that the numerous properties he owned all over the world, the countless shares in companies both Muggle and Magical, and one or two companies he owned outright and Harry earned more in interest daily then most countries did yearly.

"You could purchase your own country off of just the Black investments alone," Grabass had informed him after Harry woke up from fainting at the news of his wealth.

Secretly he had paid off all the debts of the Weasley family and then the Grangers. Oh, let's not forget the "scholarships" that had paid for the next two generations of Muggle-born students to attend Hogwarts for free. Still, even with all that money being used, Harry had not even dented his fortune. So what if he created a trust fund for Teddy that would insure the boy never had to work. So what if he then made sure that Andromeda Tonks moved into a mansion with servants to help her out, it still didn't come close to affecting his overall available liquid assets. In other words, he was loaded and he hadn't spent a knut on himself yet.

Walking into his office, formerly one of the second floor bedrooms, Harry grabbed the listing of all the properties he currently owned. It was a rather long list, though sadly most of the properties were in serious need of renovations thanks to sixteen years of neglect. This was due to Sirius being in prison and his parents being dead, so no one had been available to see to the properties upkeep considering he had no idea they even existed until recently. Kreacher had volunteered to clean them all, but given the elderly house elf's track record with cleaning, Harry had passed on the offer.

"I need a place that's in good condition, off the radar, and not so far away I can't get back right away if needed," muttered Harry as he leafed through the various sheets of paper. "Most of these places are wrecks currently. Really need to have Grabass get me an estimate for repairs."

He was just about to give it up as a bad idea, these places were in worse condition than Grimmauld Place had been, when something caught his eye. It was a rather roomy chateau with it's own private beach and dock located in the south of France near St. Tropez. There was a small enclave of magical families that lived in the area, mostly French Witches and Wizards, that owned large estates in the area. The whole place was under a gigantic Muggle repelling charm and supposedly the largest Fidelius charm ever created. Only the fact that he was looking at the property listing allowed him to even know it was there. It was also the only property he owned that was manned by a human staff as the laws of the area prevented house elves from being used.

"Slavery in any form, be it magical or financial is strictly prohibited," read Harry as he scanned over the property listing. "Fifteen bedrooms, an Olympic sized swimming pool even though it's right on the beach, a twelve car garage, two guest cottages, and a permanent staff of three living in their own house. Bloody hell, it's huge. Sounds brilliant!"

What followed was a very quick Floo call to Gringotts to make arrangements for his being out of the country. A Goblin popped over to take his picture for identification papers. It took all of twenty minutes for the Goblin to return with his passport, driver's license, and credit cards. Then of course Harry had to pack, which took no time at all considering he barely owned any clothes worth taking. He figured he could buy what he needed when he got there and if not, he could ask the grounds crew to help him. Two hours later and Harry was holding a portkey that would take him directly to the front foyer of his chateau. With a yank and a twirl, Harry was on his way.

A week later and Harry was a very contented young man. He was spending the majority of his time on the beach, soaking up the sun and wondering why he should ever leave. Yes, he had friends back in England, but that's what the Floo was for. Not to mention that no one gawked at him here. It was perfect as far as Harry was concerned. No one bothered him and he didn't bother anyone. He had even invited Ron and Hermione to come stay with him when they returned to England, though from the sounds of it they would be in Australia much longer than originally planned due to certain complications with Hermione's family. Hermione never stated what the complications were, but Ron's letter said that her parents were furious with her and it was going to be a while before they would even talk to her. Evidently her memory charms had not been as good as she thought and they did not appreciate being manipulated. So, it looked like Harry was going to have a bit longer vacation than he originally thought, not that he was complaining.

The Goblins had been forwarding on his mail from home and the latest package had included a letter from Ginny that left Harry a little confused. Not only was she already planning their wedding, a fact that left him a little nervous, but she was also trying to control him. It was subtle, but it was clear that she expected him to avoid any contact with other women and that when he got back she expected him to get a job working for Kingsley in the Ministry. The fact that she had no idea how wealthy he was might explain the one, but as they didn't have a formal relationship right now worried him about the other. Yes, he had deep feelings for Ginny, but even after his defeat of Voldemort they had not officially resumed their relationship. So, where was she getting this idea that he was ready for marriage? Oh, and don't forget she was talking about how she was going to play Quidditch professionally while he was slaving away at the Ministry. That seemed a bit unfair.

"Maybe I would like to play Quidditch professionally, has she ever thought about that?" he asked himself as he looked out over the ocean. "It's not like I can't afford to have fun for a while."

"Harry!" called a voice from the house. "You've got visitors!"

Harry turned to look at the house and smiled up at his house keeper, Mrs. Babcock. She was an older woman, he guessed her to be in her late fifties, though it was impossible to really tell and he was not about to ask. She was a slim woman with dark brown hair and carried about her an air of warmth that made Mrs. Weasley seem cold by comparison. She and her husband both worked at the chateau and had been looking after the place for years. Both were squibs originally from London and along with their son, Joseph, had cared for the chateau as if it was there own. Harry really enjoyed the Babcocks' company and quickly thought of them as a part of his family rather than just employees.

Standing next to Mrs. Babcock, and waving like crazy, were two little balls of blonde energy and excitement. Much to Harry's surprise he had found out that Pierre and Apoline Delacour owned the chateau right next door to his. He had only been here two days when he was taking a walk and a little blonde had tackled him to the ground. Yes, Gabrielle Delacour was VERY excited to see her hero once again and soon became a constant fixture at his home. The now eleven year old girl was spending the summer here with her parents and Harry was soon enjoying the friendship of the Delacour family. There was not a night that one of the other was not having dinner at each other's homes, with Harry being tutored in French by both of the adults. It was a fine time all around.

Today it looked like Gabrielle had brought a friend with her. The little girl looked to be about the same age as Gabrielle, and it was obvious from the hair color and facial features that the girl was part or whole Veela. That wasn't a problem for Harry, though he did have to remind himself that Veela children tended to use the dreaded "puppy-dog-pout" to devastating effect. With a wave of his hand to motion the girls down to the beach, Harry watched as the two ran towards him as if their very lives depended on reaching him as quickly as possible. Both were wearing matching one piece swim suits, with Gabrielle wearing white and the other girl wearing a powder blue.

Skidding to a stop and falling to her knees next to him, Gabrielle gave Harry a tight hug before greeting him. "Good morining 'Arry! Did you miss me? I brought my cousin Aimee with me today, I hope you don't mind. She and her sister are staying with us for the rest of the summer and I told them both you were the best big brother anyone could ever want! Can we go flying later?"

_"Good morning to you as well, Gabrielle,"_ Harry said with a smile. _"It's a pleasure to meet you, Aimee, welcome to my home. I'm flattered by your praise, Gabrielle and of course we can go flying later."_

"YAY!" shouted Gabrielle as her friend blushed slightly.

_"It's an honor to meet you, Monsieur Potter," Aimee said with a smile, though the blush had yet to leave her face. "Gabrielle has told me a great deal about you since we arrived this morning. Not to mention what I've read about you in the papers. Thank you for defeating that man, Voldemort."_

Harry smiled at the young girl, she was now one of the handful of people that had actually thanked him for what he had done. Sadly, none of the Weasley's were counted in that number, not even Ron. Still, Harry figured that his friends and family were just happy he was alive, so what did it matter if they thanked him. He wasn't out for praise anyway, so it was a moot point as far as he was concerned.

_"It's just Harry, Aimee, and any friend of Gabrielle's is a friend of mine, so there is no need for thanks,"_ Harry said with a smile, which had the small girl blushing even more._ "Now, have you two had breakfast yet?"_

_"Yes!"_ they both answered in unison.

_"Good, then shall we go for a swim?"_

It took Aimee a little while to stop blushing any time Harry talked to her, but by the time lunch rolled around she was finally comfortable enough around him to relax. Pierre had explained to Harry the very first night after Gabrielle found him that young Veela children tended to be very shy around new people at first, especially men. It was a tightly controlled secret that there were no such things as partial Veela. Veela children were all full Veela, with the males being merely human and the girls always being Veela. Veela never admitted to this, but as Harry had saved the lives of both his daughters, Pierre thought Harry should at least be warned due to certain complications that could arise. It seemed that adult Veela, those over the age of fourteen, could control their allure, but Veela under the age of fourteen tended to have bursts of uncontrolled allure that could attract rather unsavory characters.

This was proved the following morning as Harry was shopping with Gabrielle and Apoline. While Apoline was helping Harry to pick out some new clothes, Gabrielle had been looking a swim suits just a few feet away. Suddenly Harry had felt a strange wave of emotion wash over him, not unlike the Imperious curse. He had of course ignored it, discretely drawing his wand and looking for the source. Much to his surprise he had turned to find Apoline running towards where Gabrielle was suddenly standing surrounded by several older men, much older men, who were looking at her with lust clearly visible in their eyes. Apoline managed to distract the men with her own allure while Harry scooped the terrified Gabrielle up in his arms and apparated her back to her home while the men were distracted. Depositing Gabrielle in the arms of her rather surprised father, Harry instantly Aparated back to Apoline's side and in the blink of an eye, she was gone as well. Pierre was still standing where Harry had left him, a crying Gabrielle in his arms, and his jaw currently hanging somewhere around knee level.

_"'Arry,"_ Apoline said once she had collected her wits from the surprise Apparition._ "Are you alright?"_

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" replied Harry, slipping into English as he was slightly confused by Apoline's concern. "I'm more worried about you and Gabrielle. Those louts didn't hurt either of you, did they?"

His reply, from Gabrielle at least, was a flying tackle from the still crying blonde. _"You saved me, 'Arry, and you aren't affected by me at all, are you?"_

Now Harry was very confused. _"Affected by what? You were in danger and I wanted to make sure you were safe, so I brought you home."_

_"Thank you, 'Arry,"_ Apoline finally said with a smile.

This led to yet another explanation about Veela. As it turned out, what Harry had felt was Gabrielle's allure suddenly manifesting. The allure would usually last for about an hour, attracting any male in the area that wasn't blood related to the Veela, and was considered even harder to resist then an adult Veela's allure because the child could not control it. Normally there were warning signs that allowed the parent to keep the child out of harms way when the allure triggered, but today Gabrielle had shown none of the normal signs, leaving them unprepared for it. The fact that Harry seemed completely unaffected by it left Pierre and Apoline stunned, but also happy that Gabrielle would have someone other than them to look out for her when they were not around.

Pierre summed it up best, saying,_ "Veela live for contact with those they love, but as a child they are often stifled because of the dangers inherent in who we are. With you around, Gabrielle will have more freedom this summer than she had had before because we will not have to follow her everywhere she goes."_

_"Something I'm told, by both my daughters, that can be rather annoying at times,"_ finished Apoline.

With Harry's permission, Apoline had unleashed the full power of her allure on him to see how strong his resistance was. Other than a slight blush, Harry had been able to ignore the effect. He told them about how the first time he saw a Veela, at the World Cup several years previously, he had been just as weak against it as any other male. Then he had met Fleur and been slightly enthralled, but by the Christmas break he had not even noticed it anymore. This led to Pierre's theory that his natural resistance to the Imperious combined with his exposure to Veela over an extended period, had led Harry to something of a natural defense against the allure.

_"That or he's just too stubborn to allow anyone, no matter how beautiful, to control him,"_ Pierre finally explained that night at dinner.

So, with Harry being immune to the allure, Gabrielle had suddenly been granted a new source of freedom. Now she spent her days with Harry at his home or out on the town, while her parents could enjoy some "free time" of their own. Harry suspected at this rate there might be a third Delacour child on its way by the end of summer, but that was not really any of his business. A quick lesson in the warning signs for an allure burst was of course needed before Harry could take Gabrielle off his property. The signs were fairly simple. A lack of appetite was the first sign, hence why he always asked Gabrielle if she had eaten that morning. Then there was the giggling caused by a sense of euphoria that came before a burst. Harry found that sign to be a complete waste as Gabrielle was constantly giggling, but it was at least good to know. The next sign was a little embarrassing for Harry, but was one of the best indicators of a impending burst of allure. Should the Veela child start rubbing her thighs and chest more than decency would allow, it was a good indication that something was about to happen. Apoline explained that the areas would start to tingle and a Veela would start rubbing at it, not even aware they were doing it. Gabrielle had done this four times this week alone, and each time Harry had been able to get her to a safe place before the burst happened.

The last sign of an impending burst was maybe the funniest, at least Harry thought it was. Pierre called it "The Walk" and that's exactly what it was. The walk was simply when all the signs kicked in at once and the poor child was rubbing, giggling, and trying to walk at the same time. It made for a funny sight and it generally meant that you had less than a minute before the burst would happen. Harry had only seen it once, two days after rescuing Gabrielle from the store. She had looked like a chicken strutting around the room before the burst hit, allowing her to calm down.

_"Occasionally,"_ Apoline told him that night,_ "there will be no signs at all, just like the other day. They are usually very weak bursts of the Allure, but more dangerous because they hit unexpectedly. Should she be with you when one of those happens, the best thing you can do is to bring her home immediately until it subsides."_

There had not been another occurrence like the first time, a fact Harry was grateful for. Oddly, Aimee and Gabrielle had two minor bursts this morning, suddenly breaking into giggles both times before a weak burst that lasted barely an hour. Aimee had been a little frightened when Harry walked over to check on her, but Gabrielle quickly explained that Harry was immune. Oh yes, this caused even more blushing on Aimee's part, followed by a little crying, and then her declaration that Harry was in deed the best big brother ever. So, he now had two little sisters following him around like lost puppies. Well, it wasn't too hard to deal with, so he smiled and accepted it. While the girls cleaned up so they could go into town for lunch, Harry flooed Apoline, asking if she wanted to join as he knew Pierre was in Paris for the day.

_"I would love to join, 'Arry,"_ Apoline replied. _"If you don't mind, Aimee's older sister will be joining us. I'm sure you've heard, but they will be staying with us for the remainder of the summer. I hope that will not be a problem?"_

_"Not at all, Apoline,"_ Harry assured her. _"Shall we meet here in say an hour?"_

_"Perfect, 'Arry,"_ replied Apoline with a smile._ "See you then."_

Harry pulled his head from the flames before heading to his room for a quick shower and change of clothes. Gabrielle and Aimee would be fine by themselves for a little while. Apoline assured him that Gabrielle now had as many clothes at his house as she did at her own. This had happened after Harry gave Gabrielle her own room in his house. The small girl had immediately redecorated it to match her own personal style, there were more stuffed animals and pictures of horses than he could count, much to Harry's amusement. Of course that meant that over the course of the next few days she had basically moved in, only sleeping in her room at home if her parents made her. Harry didn't mind, seeing as how the house was a little big just for himself. Apoline and Pierre thought the whole situation a little funny, but reveled in the alone time it allowed them.

After a quick shower, Harry walked into his closet to pick out something to wear. For the life of him he could not remember the names of all the designers that had created the clothing Apoline and Gabrielle picked out for him, but Pierre assured him that was normal and that he should just smile and accept it. Needless to say, everything was custom tailored to fit him and left him looking much better than the baggy hand-me-downs that he had previously worn. Picking out a pair of black slacks, an emerald green polo shirt, black socks, and black loafers, Harry soon looked the very model of the aristocratic upper crust on vacation. He grabbed his favorite Citizen's wristwatch, a gift from Apoline, and his wallet before he walked out of his room to meet the girls.

Walking into the front parlor, Harry saw the girls sitting on one of the sofas waiting for him. They both wore simple white sundresses that hung to just below their knees with matching white sandals and white ribbons tying back their long blonde hair. If Harry didn't know better he would have thought they were sisters rather than just cousins, but damned if they weren't the cutest things he had ever seen. They immediately smiled at him, Aimee once again blushing slightly as he walked in.

_"Ladies,"_ he said with a smile as he held his hands out for them,_ "we'll be meeting Gabrielle's mother and Aimee's sister for lunch in a little bit, so I hope you are both hungry."_

_"Yes, Harry!"_ replied both girls, though Aimee seemed a little less enthusiastic about it.

_"Are you not hungry, Aimee?"_ asked Harry as the girls walked over to take his hands.

Blushing once again, Aimee shook her head, saying, _"Not really."_

"Warning!" thought Harry before he kneeled down to look Aimee in the eyes._ "If you think you are going to have a burst I don't want you to be afraid to tell me, okay?"_

_"It's not that, Harry,"_ replied the bashful little girl._ "It's just that my sister is coming and she can be a bit..."_

_"Overpowering,"_ finished Gabrielle, causing Aimee to nod furiously.

_"How so?"_ asked Harry, standing back up and leading the girls towards the front entryway._ "Is she mean and horrible, or is she loud and rude? Isn't she nice to you?"_

_"Oh no!"_ objected Aimee almost instantly._ "She's wonderful! The best big sister you could ever hope for, but..."_

_"She's absolutely perfect,"_ Gabrielle supplied. _"She is just so perfect it makes you want to gag. That's saying something coming from a Veela."_

_"Ahhh, I see,"_ commented Harry._ "Are we a little jealous, maybe?"_

Both girls giggled for just a moment, though there was no burst to match it, before Aimee smiled up at him with a devious look in her eyes. _"You'll see."_

Just then the front door opened, Apoline had a standing invitation in, so there was no need for her to knock or ring the doorbell. She of course looked beautiful as always, making it obvious where Fleur and Gabrielle got their looks from. However, as she entered she was followed by another figure, a young woman. She was about a head shorter than Harry, though he thought she looked perfect the way she was. Her eyes were the first thing he noticed, being a sapphire blue that seemed to almost glow in the limited light of the entryway. Her hair, being darker than most Veela with its golden color highlighted by natural exposure to the sun, was long enough to reach down to just below her waist. And what a waist, no, what a body. Yes, it was perfect in every way visible, from her perfect legs that showed under her short sundress to the hint of cleavage seen at the scooped neckline.

"Wow," was all that Harry could say as he tried to pull his eyes away from the slightly blushing young woman.

_"Told you!"_ sing-songed the two little girls holding his hands.

_"Well, 'Arry, let me introduce my guest,"_ Apoline said with a slight trace of a giggle._ "This lovely young lady is my niece, Zoe Pauline Poisson. She will be staying with us for the rest of the summer. I hope you will be able to... Tolerate... Her being here?"_

Noting the teasing quality of Apoline's voice, Harry pulled his attention off the young woman, saying,_ "Not at all, Apoline. I apologize for my reaction to meeting such a lovely young lady and hope this has not cast me in too vile a light?"_

_"Oh no,"_ Zoe instantly replied, her cheeks tinged with just a trace of a blush. _"Not at all, Monsieur Potter."_

_"Harry,"_ he instantly corrected._ "My friends all call my Harry."_

_"'Arry,"_ she repeated, smiling at him as she noted the silly grin on his face from the way she said his name_. "I hope we will be the best of friends then, 'Arry."_

_"I thought he was immune to the allure?"_ Aimee said in a stage whisper to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle nodded, replying back in the same stage whisper, _"He is, but he's a boy, so he can be stupid without it sometimes."_

"Gee, thanks," muttered Harry, with his own blush this time._ "So nice to know you think so highly of me."_

_"Oh, I love you, 'Arry,"_ she replied with a playful gleam in her eyes,_ "but that doesn't mean I won't tease you when you do something silly. Am I right?"_

_"But of course!"_ agreed the other ladies present, letting Harry know that this was going to be an interesting summer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Friends**

"That's it, you're getting a spanking this time!" roared Harry as he ran after the screaming Gabrielle.

The reason for this? Simple, when you take into account that Harry had been taking a nap under his umbrella and suddenly woken up with a cup of ice poured on his back. Needless to say, Harry was awake and chasing the giggling little girl faster than she could blink. This of course had the other people on the beach laughing their fool heads off. Aimee was currently rolling on the sand in a fetal position, giggling like mad. Apoline and Pierre were holding onto each other as they laughed like mad and watched Harry give chase. As for Zoe, she was snickering, but her eyes never left Harry as she watched him run.

_"I'm a little young for that type of thing, don't you think?"_ taunted Gabrielle as Harry cornered her at the shoreline. _"You could ask Zoe. She might like it."_

_"GABRIELLE!" _screamed Zoe, her face and upper chest now turning a fabulous shade of red._ "Now you will answer to both of us!"_

_"Merde!" _

_"Gabrielle!" _shouted Apoline. _ "Language, please?"_

_"I blame Harry," _added Pierre. _"She's picking up some of his more colorful expressions."_

_"Well he's your son, sort of, so you deal with him," _replied Apoline as she watched Harry and Zoe chasing after Gabrielle.

In the last few days since the arrival of Zoe and Aimee, Harry had become even closer with the Delacour family. This might have had something to do with the fact that Gabrielle and the Poisson sisters seemed to spend every waking moment at Harry's home, meaning Apoline and Pierre had to spend time there if they wished to see their daughter. Then again it could have been the fact that Apoline took a rather unhealthy, at least in Harry's opinion, interest in teasing Harry about his obvious attraction to Zoe. It had started with glances on and off during their first luncheon together, but had quickly grown into mutual flirting between the two of them. They had as of yet to actually do more than flirt, but Apoline thought it only a matter of time.

For her part, Zoe was absolutely fascinated by Harry. Not only was he not affected by her allure, a fact she had tested with his consent, but he was unlike any man she had met before. It was refreshing to be able to relax around him without worry of him becoming enthralled or worse. Add the fact that he was THE Harry Potter and take into account that he did not act like THE anything other a normal guy and Zoe was quickly starting to think that Harry was THE ONE. Unfortunately her family might not agree, so she was not rushing headlong into anything that could backfire on her later.

Harry was much the same way right now. Zoe was absolutely amazing, of that he had no doubt. By the end of their first luncheon he had learned she was as intelligent as Hermione, though without any of his best friend's nagging tendencies. She was also very funny, with a sense of humor that ranged from dry and sarcastic all the way to silly and goofy. Oh, and did he forget to mention she was an absolute drop dead fox! Not that it mattered, yeah right, but it sure didn't hurt. Sadly, she lived in France while he lived in England and would be returning there eventually. That thought alone was all that was stopping him from asking her out.

Ginny, who?

Right now, chasing Gabrielle around the beach with Zoe right at his side, Harry was fully aware of just how much he was attracted to Zoe. She was currently wearing a white bikini that left little to the imagination. Apoline explained to Harry that normally they came to the beach either topless or nude since it was a private beach, but since he was unused to this they had all agreed with wearing suits. Right now Harry was grateful for that, not only because the thought of seeing Gabrielle and Aimee nude was a little creepy to him, but because he doubted he would have been able to hide the physical reaction he was currently having as he watched Zoe's bum as she ran.

_"Gotcha!" _screamed Zoe, as she lunged for Gabrielle, only to miss and fall flat on her face in the sand.

This of course had Harry tripping over her a second later with him landing right beside Zoe, also face down. Gabrielle in the meantime was now laughing her head off as she made it back to her mother's side, where she knew she was safe. Harry lifted his face out of the sand, spitting out the mouthful he had just collected, before looking at Zoe to see if she was okay. This caused a new problem as it seemed that the fall had pulled Zoe's top down, revealing for all the world to see the two most perfect breasts that Harry had ever seen in his life. Granted, they were the first breasts he had seen in his life other than Hermione's, they had lived alone together in a tent for several weeks, but they were still perfect in his opinion.

The sudden blush on his face coupled with him burying his face back in the sand was the first indication Zoe got that something was not right. Looking down at herself she noticed "the girls" were out to play, not that she really minded in this weather, but Harry seemed to be turning a shade of red that had nothing to do with his exposure to the sun. Sitting up she adjusted her top, putting "the girls" away before standing up. This of course turned out to be a mistake as no sooner did she sand up, alerting Harry that it might be okay to look at her again, than her bottoms came untied and fell to the ground at her feet. Needless to say, Harry got another eyeful of something he had only ever seen belonging to his best friend, causing him to blush even further before burying his face back in the sand.

_"Are you trying to kill me?" _asked his muffled voice from deep in the sand.

_"Oh don't be silly, 'Arry,"_ replied Zoe as she tied her bottoms back in place. _"If I was trying to kill you I wouldn't have worn a suit. As it is, I'm only wearing one because of your silly British views regarding nudity. You'll put a topless girl in your daily newspapers, but heaven forbid a naked woman enjoy the beach. Now, stand up and lets get back to the others."_

_"I like my 'silly British views,'" _objected Harry. _"It's the way I was raised. If you ever met my aunt you would understand why I would never want to see her in a bathing suit, let alone without one. And I don't have a problem with nudity, just my reaction to seeing it."_

_"Bah!" _scoffed Zoe. _"If you plan on spending any time here at all you had better get used to it, 'Arry. In fact..." _

A moment later and Harry felt first one, then two pieces of cloth hit his back before he heard Zoe call out, _"Harry says he's alright if we don't wear suits anymore!"_

_"YAY!" _was the reply from two other voices.

_"I hate you,"_ mumbled Harry as he tried not to think about what those two pieces of cloth on his back were, yet knowing full well exactly what they were.

_"No you don't," _countered Zoe. _"Now get up and lets go swimming!"_

_"I'd rather lay here for a few more moments, if you don't mind?" _he answered back.

_"Come on, Harry!" _screamed Gabrielle and Aimee. _ "SWIMMING!"_

"Oh, shite..." groaned Harry as two small sets of arms pulled him up and towards the water, never once opening his eyes. _"Aimee. Gabrielle. Do you have suits on?"_

_"NO!" _replied both girls, causing Harry to groan even louder.

_"It's going to be a long day."_

That night once both girls were asleep in Gabrielle's room at Harry's, Pierre came over and had "THE TALK" with him. Harry was a little embarrassed at first, but after getting several of his questions answered, especially ones he had long wondered about, Harry started to realize it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. In fact he wished someone had told him this stuff back when he was twelve and started having certain problems due to entering puberty. It would have been nice to have had a man to talk to then, but that was then and this was now. Still, Harry did explain his point of view on why he felt uncomfortable with Gabrielle and Aimee running around naked. He also explained that nudity in general did not bother him so much, being friends with Hermione had cured him of that, as the fact that he felt he did not know Zoe well enough to see her sans her suit. Pierre understood and a compromise was reached that the girls, Apoline and Zoe included, would at least wear bottoms on the beach from now on and there would be no mention of Harry going sans his trunks.

_"Though from what you're telling me, you've got nothing to be ashamed of in that department," _assured Pierre. _"Hell, I'm a little jealous if your estimates are right."_

So, that was the new rule for beach attire. Topless was fine, but bottomless was not. Now that didn't mean the girls couldn't do whatever they wanted on the Delacour stretch of beach, but since there was an obscuring charm separating the property line on the beach, this was not an issue. Gabrielle was a bit put out, but accepted that her "big brother" was a "prude" and moved on from the issue. Wearing a suit was not going to stop her from spending time with someone that she cared about as much as she did Harry and he would just have to get over it in time.

Zoe on the other hand had a much more devious plan in mind. Suddenly her suit bottoms became thongs, rather small thongs at that, but she was covered. Let's ignore the fact that as small as her thongs were she might as well have been naked, she still followed the rules. However each day the bottoms got a little smaller and the material a little thiner, to the point where Harry was starting to wonder if she was just painting the things on in the morning. It was only the arrival of her parents that seemed to stop the steadily shrinking size of her suits at a barely decent size.

Harry had been required to travel back to Gringotts for the day to go over some investments with Grabass. With permission from Apoline, Gabrielle and Aimee accompanied him, on the condition that should they have an accidental burst they would portkey home immediately. Harry was aware that Aimee and Zoe's parents would be coming for a visit today, but Zoe had insisted that she needed to talk to them privately, asking Harry to take the girls with him. This was fine with both girls, who were now wearing emergency portkeys in the form of diamond pendants around their necks. The pendants were gifts from Harry with the Goblin's placing a permanent portkey charm on them. The idea had come from a discussion with Pierre regarding the magical properties of gemstones and the fact that diamonds of a certain quality were famous for holding spells better than any other material known to man. This of course had Harry planning like mad and after a floo call to Grabass, he had two four karat perfect diamonds from the Potter vaults set into platinum pendants and chains for the girls. Each pendant had numerous protective charms woven into them with a redundant set of spells on the diamonds themselves. Constantly charged by a mere trickle of the girls' own magic, the pendants were works of art that would keep them safe so long as they wore them.

The trip to the bank was boring for the girls, though they both acted like proper little ladies the entire time. Aimee was heard to gasp once when she heard the total value of Harry's fortune, but Gabrielle elbowed her in the ribs to silence her. That was a bit of an odd reaction, as had Grabass' when Harry had introduced the girls. Gabrielle he was familiar with, seeing as how Fleur worked in the bank, but the mention of Aimee's name had Grabass actually stunned. It was a reaction that Harry was going to look into later, but for now he had other things on his mind.

There was the obligatory discussion of which stocks Harry wanted to invest in, such as Apple Computers versus Microsoft. Harry chose Apple not because he was familiar with the company but because he just really liked eating Apples. Then they discussed several car companies that his father had invested in. There was stock in Ferrari, Lotus, Lamborghini, and Delorean. The Delorean stock was now worthless, so that was a non-issue, but the rest of the stocks were still doing well. Grabass also informed him that he owned several cars made by the companies, including a Delorean, but that they all needed work as none of them had been cared for in the last sixteen years.

"Sell the Delorean," ordered Harry. "Never heard of the things so can't imagine anyone else has either. Find some kid in need of a car and give it to him for all I care. As for the rest, see if you can't get them fixed up and shipped to my chateau. The garage there is empty at the moment, so I've got plenty of room for them."

"Of course, Harry," agreed Grabass. "Would you like to invest in any other car companies while we are on the topic?"

"Yeah," Harry said after a moments thought. "Invest in Jaguar, I've always liked them. Also, I saw one at the train station that I liked. I think it was called a McLaren and it was beautiful. Also, invest in Mercedes if we aren't already. My uncle loves them and while I may not agree with him on much, I have to agree they are great looking cars."

Grabass was writing this all down, nodding as Harry continued. "Also, you might want to look into the car shows they have. Dudley was always talking about how they had the best cars. Let me know when they have the next big one, so I can attend. Might give us a better idea of what to invest in. Uncle Vernon always said that people will never stop buying cars, so it sounds like a good investment to me."

"A wise idea," agreed Grabass. "I'll look into it right away. Now, onto your properties."

And so it went. The next hour was an ongoing list of properties and what was needed to either get them back in habitable condition, or the suggestion that they be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. His home in Tokyo had been ruined due to an earthquake, so that was on the rebuild list. Then the one in Hawaii was now under a lava flow, so that was a flat out sell back to the government. His home in California had been damaged in a mudslide, so it was going on the sell list. Oh, and the funniest one was the house in India that was currently underwater, but the Indian government had paid him for the land already, so that wasn't a worry. Of the four homes he owned in the United Kingdom three needed serious repair, two castles and Grimmauld place, while the fourth was the house in Godric's Hollow that was currently a national landmark according to the Ministry of Magic.

"See if the Ministry will by Godric's Hollow outright," offered Harry. "I have no plans for ever attempting to live there, but I'm not going to let them use my property as a tourist attraction. Let them pay the taxes on it if they think it's so bloody important."

The list went on and on. Moscow, ruined. Egypt, ruined. South Africa, livable but only barely. Australia, ruined. China, now owned by the state. Rio, livable but in need of serious repair. On and on it went with three quarters of the properties needing to either be sold or rebuilt from the ground up. Only the chateau in St. Tropez and another in Monaco were in truly livable condition, mainly due to the efforts of the Babcock family. It seemed that Mr. Babcock and his son were taking care of both properties, making sure then did not fall into disrepair. When Harry learned this, he doubled their salaries along with Mrs. Babcock, something that he would let them discover for themselves the next time they went to the bank.

"'Arry?" asked Aimee as they were wrapping up the conversation about the properties. "You 'ave ze 'ome in Monaco? Qui?"

"Looks that way, kiddo," agreed Harry. "Never been there, but maybe we can check it out this upcoming weekend?"

"Oh, oui!" squealed Aimee, with a matching squeal from Gabrielle. "Zen you live right next to us, maybe?"

"That he does, Mademoiselle Poisson," confirmed Grabass. "In fact, he is your neighbor on your south western side."

"See, now you'll get to see me a lot more often," commented Harry.

This had the young girl practically vibrating in her seat rattling off in French too fast for Harry to follow with Gabrielle chatting right along with her. A moment later and she had launched herself across the room and was hugging Harry for all she was worth. Now the gasp that escaped Grabass really had Harry's attention as the old Goblin seemed utterly shocked by Aimee's reaction. After a moment or two of Aimee excitedly hugging him, Harry picked the young girl up and sat her down on his left leg. Seeing as how Gabrielle now looked a little put out that Aimee was sitting on his lap and she wasn't, Harry patted his right leg and was soon engulfed in yet another hug as she leapt across the room to take the offered position.

"You've made quite the impression on those two, Harry," commented Grabass. "I wonder if you truly know what you've done?"

_"Hush, you,"_ commanded Aimee, and surprisingly enough, Grabass complied.

Their meeting continued for another thirty minutes in which Harry wondered about Grabass' comment and Aimee's reaction. Finally they wrapped up the meeting with Grabass handing Harry the most recent letters from his friends. There was nothing there from Ron, though Hermione and Ginny had both written to him. Taking the girls to a Muggle ice cream shop near the alley, Harry quickly set about reading his letters while the girls ate and chatted.

Hermione informed him that she and her parents would be returning, along with Ron, at the end of the summer so that she could return to Hogwarts for her seventh year. She was happy to announce that Ron had agreed to attend as well, though he was loath to admit that he was actually looking forward to it. She stated she would be coming back a week before school started in order to come see his chateau, though Ron would be heading back to the Burrow for some last minute revision. There Ron would confirm the story that Harry had been with them the entire time with them sharing a room rather than the truth that he and Hermione had been sharing a bed since the second night there. Harry could almost feel Hermione's delight as he read that bit. Also, Hermione's parents would love to see him again, mostly to thank him for keeping their "little girl" alive.

Turning to Ginny's letter Harry began to read. He was instantly in a snit as Ginny was now pointing out that he really should get her a ring to make their relationship official. She then droned on about her plans for their future wedding and how she thought they should live at the Burrow while she played professional Quidditch and he trained to be an Auror. Oh, lets not forget the bit about where Mrs. Weasley would even graciously let him stay in Bill's old room even after they were married while Ginny stayed in her room. Was she serious? She expected him to marry her and then sleep in separate rooms? At her parent's house? Seriously?

"And I was attracted to her, why?" mumbled Harry as he continued to read.

Four pages later, all of them filled with the dreams of a little girl who had yet to grow up and Harry was well past annoyed and well into furious. Not only had she begun planning a wedding for them, something he no longer was interested in, but she was mapping out his career path on the way to him eventually being the Minister of Magic, also something he wasn't interested in. It sounded more and more like her Mum talking and less like the girl he had once been in love with.

"That's the point," he thought to himself as he folded up the letter and put it back in the envelope. "I'm not in love with her anymore."

Conjuring up two blank pieces of paper and a self-inking quill, Harry quickly wrote two letters back. The first was to Hermione telling her he couldn't wait to see her again while the second was to Ginny telling her that they really needed to talk when he got back. He knew she would probably think he wanted to present her with a ring, but at this point he was just too upset to care. Something had to be done and it needed to be before she started telling all her friends about their "relationship."

"Who am I kidding," groaned Harry, "she already has, I'm sure of it."

After the girls finished eating and Harry dropped his letters off in the owl post, Harry took the girls to meet Teddy and Andromeda. Andromeda had of course known Harry had not left with his friends, promising to keep the secret, so he had been keeping in touch with her on a regular basis. Andromeda had quickly become one of his most valued advisors, right next to Hermione and the Delacours. She of course was thrilled to see him, as was little Teddy, and spent a good fifteen minutes gushing over how cute Aimee and Gabrielle were. Teddy instantly took a liking to both girls, shifting his hair to better match theirs before he fell asleep in Gabrielle's lap with a look of utter contentment on his face. Harry, in a moment of utter clarity, just knew that someday Teddy was going to end up marrying a Veela, at least if that look of peace and happiness on his face was any indication.

While the girls looked after Teddy, Harry and Andromeda stepped outside to talk. Harry pulled out the letter from Ginny and handed it to her, trusting he opinion in such matters far more than he trusted his own. Andromeda red the letter, then read it again, before she folded it back up and handed it to him. She seemed to think about it for a few moments before she looked in dead in the eyes and sighed.

"You have the worst luck with women, Harry," she said with a frown. "That girl is obsessed with you, and I highly advise you to set her straight as soon as possible. The fact that she is taking for granted what your future plans are truly worries me. I know Molly has had a hand in this as it's far too like how she treats Arthur, but to just map out your life with no real idea of what your plans or financial situation is troubles me, it really does."

"I know," agreed Harry. "I'm to be the financial provider while she has a career as a professional Quidditch player. You noticed that she never once mentions me trying out for any teams, but that she already has plans to do so. Oh, and lets not forget the repeated hints that she'll be the one in charge of our finances as I tend to rush into things to quickly. Granted, she has no clue how much money I really have, at least I hope she doesn't, but still to just think I'll hand over my paycheck to her each week and let her 'see to things' is a bit insulting."

Andromeda nodded, saying, "Arthur let's Molly do that to him, so Ginny seems to think it's only natural that you do the same. The fact that Arthur was a gifted charms student and could have gone for his Mastery if not for the early arrival of their son Bill seems to have eluded her. Honestly, if they had waited to start a family just two years then I wouldn't be surprised if Arthur had become one of the leading spell developers in the world. The man just had that much talent. All of which was wasted when Molly demanded he give up his apprenticeship with Professor James, Professor Flitwick's predecessor, and take a job at the Ministry."

"Ouch," groaned Harry. "Apprenticeships are hard to come by. The fact that he gave one up would have looked really bad on him."

"It did," agreed Andromeda. "Arthur likes to imply that he stays in his job because he likes it there, but the truth is that no one wants to promote someone that gave up such a promising opportunity. It gives the impression that he is not serious about his career."

"So, what do you suggest?"

"Tell her the truth, Harry," advised Andromeda. "Explain to her that you are not looking for someone to run your life for you, especially someone that still has a year of school left to finish. Is she even aware that you sat your NEWTS at the begining of the school year and passed them with top marks?"

"No," admitted Harry. "I was pretending to get ready for the trip with Ron and Hermione, so I was avoiding her and the others. Less chance of the secret getting out that way. I thought it would be a surprise later on, but now I think it was a mistake to ever agree to covering their trip alone up. Ginny seems to think I've been pining away after here all summer."

"Which you haven't," offered Andromeda. "You had best talk to Hermione and Ron right away about coming clean about their little trip. Trust me, it will be much worse if someone finds out on their own. Especially if it's Molly or Ginny."

"True," Harry agreed. "I'll see about an International floo call tonight so we can discuss this between ourselves."

Andromeda nodded, then got a playful grin as she asked, "So, how is Zoe?"

Their conversation lasted about an hour, until Teddy woke up and Aimee and Gabrielle brought him out to see his godfather. The girls absolutely adored Teddy and it was obvious he felt the same. Andromeda hinted she might use them as babysitters from time to time, something that had both girls vibrating with excitement and had Harry dreading the fact he would have to babysit all three. Still, they were all happy and that was the most important part. The girls finally took Teddy down to the garden to play and Harry remembered a question he had wanted to ask, but forgotten during the conversation about Ginny.

"Andromeda, have you ever heard the name Poisson before?"

Andromeda, who was taking a sip of her tea when he asked, spit the tea out all over the table. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you had ever heard of the name Poisson before," he repeated. "From your reaction I would say that you have."

"That's where I recognized Aimee from," groaned Andromeda, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Aimee Jeanette Poisson. I've seen pictures of her and her family, but it just didn't click until you said the name. Oh Harry, what have you stumbled into?"

"What?" he demanded. "What's so important about that name and why are you laughing at me?"

"I'm laughing, Harry," she said, still laughing at him, "because only you could wind up with the daughter of the Queen of the Veela Nation following you around like a puppy and agreeing to babysit your godson."

"The what of the what?" Harry asked, slipping deeper into his chair.

Andromeda laughed even harder before finally taking pity on him. "You heard me, Harry. She's Princess Aimee Jeanette Poisson. Daughter to Queen Anne Marie Poisson and Prince Michael Joseph Delacour. That would be Pierre Delacour's brother, just so you know. Her older sister is Princess Zoe Pauline Poisson, next in line to the Veela Throne and considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world, along with her mother."

"Oh shite, I've seen her naked," groaned Harry. "Her mother and father are going to kill me! Let's not mention the sheer fact that she's so far out of my league it's unimaginable that she could ever see me as anything other than a silly boy. I am so fucked."

Andromeda was really laughing now, barely pulling herself together to ask, "Naked you say? Now, Harry, how pray tell did that happen?"

And once again Harry was blushing as one of his parental figures started making fun of him. Andromeda point out eventually that Zoe had not seemed upset in the least that Harry saw her naked, nor did she or anyone else inform Harry of their exalted rank in the Veela community. The very fact that they would allow Harry, unescorted, to take Aimee out of the country showed that they held him in the highest regards. It showed a level of trust and respect that frankly astounded Andromeda.

"It's obvious they trust you," Adromeda finally said as the girls were returning with teddy. "For now, just act as you have been and let them tell you when they want. It could very well be that they want to enjoy a summer as normal young women, or maybe they were sworn to secrecy. Either way, just be yourself."

"For now," agreed Harry. "I really don't like people keeping secrets from me. It's too much like what Dumbledore did, but I'll let it be for now."

Twenty minutes later they were stepping out of the floo in Harry's chateau. It was still relatively early so the girls were going to run back to the Delacour's and see what the plans were for tonight. Harry assumed there would be a family meal, though he currently was unsure if he was invited. Still, one night eating alone would not be the end of the world, even if it would be a bit lonely and it would give him the chance to floo Ron and Hermione. In fact...

Grabbing a handful of floo powder, Harry called out Hermione's name, thankful that Grabass had seen fit to give her a floo redirect charm for the their trip. It took a moment, then Harry found his head sticking out of a fireplace and looking right at the nude figure of his best female friend as she walked from her bed to the fireplace.

"Jesus, put those things away or you'll give me a heart attack," groused Harry, not bothering to turn around. "Seriously, anyone could have called and seen you."

"Oh grow up you prat," replied Hermione without even a hint of modesty as she sat in front of the fireplace Indian style. "It's not like you haven't seen it before and you're the only one that the charm will work for, so it's not an issue."

"Yes, who knew my uptight bookworm best friend was secretly an exhibitionist," replied Harry. "It took you what, twenty-four hours after Ron left to start prancing around our tent starkers every chance you got?"

"So sue me," Hermione said with a shrug, which did very interesting things to her upper anatomy. "I wanted to see if it was just Ron or if other men found me attractive. What safer way to do that then to see how my best friend reacted?"

Harry snorted, trying not to look straight ahead into Hermione's nether region, which was currently proudly on display only about 3 feet from his face. "How do you think I reacted, I wanked off so much for that first week that I think my willy is permanently bent to the right."

"I did offer to help you with that, you know," pointed out Hermione.

"And we both know you didn't mean a word of it," countered Harry. "You were in love with Ron even then. It would have been the worst mistake of both our lives. By the way, did you shave?"

Hermione looked down and shook her head as she spread her legs to give Harry a better view. "No, I waxed. My mother and I went to the most fabulous day spa after we reconciled and they had a special on waxing. I had heard of it, but never tried it. I have to say it's actually surprisingly smooth and comfortable. Want to feel it?"

"Tempting," stated Harry, "but as the only thing currently near enough to you to touch it would be my face, I'm going to have to pass. I don't think Ron would appreciate me nuzzling your nether bits to see how soft it is. I think that's his job."

"True, she agreed," with a devious grin on her face. "He really seems to like the feel of it, if the fact I can barely keep his hands off it is any indication, not that I'm complaining. Oh well, I'll let you feel it when I get there. I'm scheduled for another visit before we leave."

"Right then," Harry interrupted before that image could settle too firmly in his mind, never mind the fact he knew she was absolutely serious about the offer. "About your return. We may have a problem brewing on that front. It seems Ginny has taken to planning our future together, in great detail."

"Oh I know," said Hermione with a frown. "We just found out about it today when Mrs. Weasley's letter arrived. She droned on and on about how now that the war was over she would look out after us all, especially you, and how you and Ginny would be getting married and we should do the same. It was a little disturbing considering she has herself convinced I'll be giving up my plans for the future to sit at home popping out sprogs as fast as my tight little twat can. Trust me, that is not on my agenda for at least the next ten years."

Harry tried not to picture that image, he really did, but having lived with Hermione alone for a good deal of time had taught him that whatever he thought he knew about her personality was only half the whole image. Yes, Hermione was anal retentive when it came to her studies and rule breaking. She was also very prim and proper when it came to people she did not know. However, once she got to know you, that's when the other side of her personality showed up. For example, Hermione had no modesty once she got to know you well enough. The fact that she never wore underwear of any type had been something Harry learned in fourth year while they were studying for the first task, the use of certain charms even meant she needn't worry about "that time of the month." Lets not forget that during the warmer months of the year at school, she didn't even bother to wear clothes under her school robes. During the colder months she wore a warming charm under them, and that was it. She informed him much later that she was not the only girl at school that did so, and pointed out several that did the same thing. Harry had not been able to sleep that night thanks to a rather active imagination.

Then during his months alone with her in the tent Harry had discovered Hermione thought best when she was wearing the least amount of clothing, and since they were not in school and she trusted him, the meant she spent the majority of her time naked as the day she was born. Well, except for borrowing his socks. Hermione hated having cold feet, so it was not unusual to see her walking bare arsed through the tent and even outside the tent, with only a pair of his socks on. Let's not even get him started on her tendency to crawl into bed with him in the middle of the night. That alone had been one of the hardest, pardon the pun, things he had ever had to deal with. It was only with Ron's return that she had started wearing clothes again.

"I want there to be something between him and me," she explained when Harry asked her about it. "So I want the first time he sees me like that to be special."

Harry assumed it had been because two days after defeating Voldemort and Hermione was walking around Grimmauld place as naked as could be right in front of Harry and Ron both.

"You're a very luck man," Harry had finally told Ron after the second day.

"I know," was all Ron could say as he watched Hermione climb the stairs.

Hermione continued speaking. "Ron is actually at the golf course with my father discussing the situation with him. They've grown surprisingly close over the last week, so I'm taking it as a good sign for our relationship. Mum thinks we should just come clean and father agrees since Ron and I are both considered adults and you will be in weeks days time. It's not like anyone can say anything and other than hinting you were coming with us on this trip, none of us has lied and said you were actually here."

"True," agree Harry. "I've not actually talked to anyone other than Andromeda and after telling her about this she agrees with your parents. I think I'll talk with Pierre and Apoline concerning it, but I think coming clean is our best choice. As for Ginny, I'm going to do the same with her and just tell her that if I wasn't concerned about picking up our relationship before, I am now."

Harry head a door open and a moment later Ron was kneeling next to his girlfriend, thankfully still dressed. "What's up, Harry? Couldn't wait to see Hermione starkers again?"

"You know me, always love to see Hermione in all her glory," teased Harry. "Unfortunately it's work before play. I understand you are aware of the situation with your mother and sister?"

Ron groaned before wiping a hand over his face. "I swear, I thought Ginny was the normal one in the family, but if even half of what I got from that letter is correct, she's gone right round the twist. Harry, I love my sister dearly, but you might want to start running now and not stop."

"Yeah," Harry agreed with a heavy sigh. "I sort of saw this coming last year before we left, but this kind of screams danger. I've got a feeling she is not going to take this well."

"That's no lie," Ron said with a chuckle. "We'll have to come clean about this trip, you know that, right?"

"Hermione and I had just come to that conclusion," replied Harry with a nod of agreement from Hermione.

"Maybe we should all meet up at the Burrow rather than just Ron going by himself," suggested Hermione. "Strength in numbers and all that."

"And a fast getaway to Harry's place if need be," added Ron. "Mom's going to be furious, to say the least."

"Bugger that for a bunch of bananas," groaned Harry. "She'll lay into all of us for being irresponsible, then she'll get nasty about it. I know she loves us, but she's going to smother us all to the point we run screaming."

Ron and Hermione could only nod in agreement. They talked for a few more minutes before Harry ended the connection. It was agreed that they would all meet at the Burrow two weeks before the start of school rather than the previously planned one week, then make their way back to Harry's Chateau for the remainder of the summer. No matter how the conversation turned out, Harry doubted he would be stepping foot back in England for a while. Still, he had good friends and he would eventually return, but for now he was thinking his stay in St. Tropez might become an extended thing.

"Harry, dear," called Mrs. Babcock. "Mrs. Delacour sent a message that you are invited to eat with them tonight. They will be expecting you in about thirty minutes, so you might want to clean up and change before heading over there."

"Thank you, Mrs. Babcock," acknowledged Harry, feeling a little nervous about meeting Aimee and Zoe's parents.

Thirty minutes later after a quick shower and a change of clothing, Harry was knocking on the front door waiting for his execution, so to speak. He had decided that he would not treat the girls any differently unless they acted as if it was not appreciated. That being said, he still did not know how to treat their parents. It would be disrespectful to be anything other than polite, but seeing as how he tried to always be polite, that wasn't really an issue. As the door swung open to reveal Apoline standing there looking madder than he had ever seen her, Harry could only cringe.

"Evening, Apoline, I hope I'm not interrupting something?"

* * *

AN: Formatting issue corrected on 10/4/12.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Just a Girl**

"Evening, Apoline, I hope I'm not interrupting something?" Harry asked, hoping Apoline's obvious fury was not aimed at him.

_"Not at all, 'Arry," _Apoline stated, obviously trying to reign in her temper. _"In fact maybe you can help me with talking to my foolish husband. He has the fool notion that we should buy a home in England. I tried to explain to him that short of building a home of our own there, there were not any suitable places available. I know, I've looked before."_

Feeling the proverbial sword being lifted from his neck, Harry could not help but chuckle. _"I might actually have a solution for you, Apoline."_

_"Really?"_ she asked as she led Harry towards the family parlor at the back of the house. _ "How do you think you can do that, 'Arry?"_

_"As it so happens, I own two castles in England, both in need of some repairs, but as I am only one man I can only really use one," _explained Harry.

Apoline stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him for a moment before asking,_ "You're serious, aren't you?"_

Harry nodded with a smile. _"I just looked at the property details a today with my account manager. He suggested I sell one to pay for the renovations on the other. If you and Pierre buy one then I'll give you a discount on the price to help offset the cost of repairs."_

_"Have you even seen them, these TWO castles that you own?"_ asked Apoline as she started walking again.

_"Nope,"_ answered Harry. _"I know one is about thirty minutes walk from Hogsmeade on the northern side of the lake and the other is about halfway between London and Hogwarts, but other than that I haven't a clue. Oh, their both under heavy enchantment to make them look like ruins of one sort or another, as are most of the magical castles in England and Scotland, but the Goblins say they are still in good enough condition to make it worth spending the money to renovate them."_

_"And what would be the names of these castles?" _Apoline asked, eager to look into their histories.

_"Ummm... I think the one near Hogsmeade is called Castle du Lac and it hidden behind several layers of wards to appear as nothing more than ruins to anyone not keyed into them,"_ Harry explained. _"The Goblins made it sound like it had been in the Black family for many generations, and was their traditional home and how the lake there was named after them."_

Apoline was stunned, Castle du Lac was rumored to be the home of Lancelot du Lac after the fall of Camelot. No one had ever found the famed castle after his death as his friends and family had returned to his father's lands while leaving his castle abandoned. Further rumors among the magical community went on to state that he had a son, a wizard, that had taken possession of the castle and started a great family from there. If it was true, and the castle was the traditional home of their family, it would mean that they were possibly direct descendants of Lancelot himself. Amazing.

_"The other castle is called Kamaaloth Castle, though from the sounds of it the thing is really more of a small city,"_ continued Harry, never noticing as Apoline stumbled at the name of the castle. _ "The Goblins got all excited about that one saying it was originally built by my family and that so long as a Potter owned it that the British Isles were safe. Sounded a bit iffy to me, but they seemed to be pretty sure or it."_

_"Kamaaloth, you said?" _asked Apoline.

Harry nodded and she just sighed. He didn't even know that Kamaaloth was one of the names of the lost castle of Camelot. Which probably meant his family was... No, best not to think of that lest she faint. Some things were just better left unsaid. One thing was for sure, Anne and Michael would never have to worry about Harry being affected by their titles considering it was looking like his was several hundred years older than theirs, maybe. Oh, this was just too funny.

"_You haven't got a clue about what that means, do you?"_ asked Apoline, staring deep into his eyes to see if he was playing games with her.

Harry stopped walking, looking at Apoline closely and realizing she was actually stunned by what he had just told her, though he hadn't a clue why. "No, but I think we are going to sit down very soon and you are going to tell me exactly what you think it means."

The fact that he had forgotten to speak in French was a a good indication of how serious he was, which instantly convinced Apoline that he was being completely honest with her. With a nod of her head, she lead him into the family parlor where everyone was waiting for them. Of course Harry recognized the majority of the people there, save for the two adults that had to be Zoe and Aimee's parents. The man looked much like Pierre. He wasn't very tall, maybe a just slightly shorter than Harry, but where Pierre was slightly overweight, his brother was clearly a man in peak of physical condition. His dark, nearly black, hair was slightly messy, though it gave him a boyish look that reminded Harry of someone, he just could not remember who. Other than that, the man sat comfortably in a chair next to his amazingly beautiful wife with a smile that was both friendly and warm.

As for Zoe's mother, the Queen of the Veela, she was quite frankly the most amazingly beautiful woman Harry had ever seen, next to her daughter that is. Anne Poisson was both regal and dead sexy all in one package. She had long platinum blonde hair that was currently braided and hong down over her chest. Her eyes were the same as her daughters', a brilliant sapphire that seemed to glow. Let's not forget her body, which even when sitting Harry could tell would make a super-model weep with envy. Yes, she was the complete package, especially with the face of an angel and a smile that Da Vinci would have had a hard time replicating.

Looking at Aimee, Harry couldn't help saying, "Okay, that proves it, when you get older we are going to have to post guards to keep your admirers at bay."

This of course had the whole room laughing while Aimee blushed so deeply harry wondered if she had any blood left in the rest of her body. A moment later she was hugging him for all she was worth and that made everything alright again in Harry's world. A moment later and Gabrielle joined in the hug, causing even more laughter as Harry was knocked off his feet by the two young girls.

_"See, it's as I told you, Michael, what do the girls need with their father's when they have a handsome chevalier as their big brother," _Pierre said with a chuckle.

Michael laughed at this, nodding as the wives and Zoe joined in. _"Too true. It seems we old men are no longer needed. Whatever shall we do now?"_

_"Make your wives happy?"_ asked Harry, earning another round of laughter.

_"Yes, Apoline, you were right, he is a natural charmer," _Anne finally said after she stopped giggling.

That's when it happened, the thing that would either make or break his relationship with these people. Aimee's allure suddenly flared so strong that everyone in the room felt it. Anne and Michael were instantly on their feet, worried that Harry would fall victim to the power of their daughter's allure and do something harmful to their little girl. Much to their shock, Harry just laughed and hugged their daughter again.

_"Aimee, did you not tell anyone you were showing sings of an accidental burst?" _he asked, using a finger to lift her chin so he could look her in the eyes. _"What have I told you about that?"_

_"I'm sorry, Harry,"_ Aimee apologized. _"I was so happy to seem mother and father that I forgot to mention it. I know you told Gabrielle and I to always tell you if we weren't hungry, couldn't stop giggling, or started feeling tingly. I really am sorry."_

Harry kissed her on the forehead and smiled. _ "It's okay, at least it was here where no one else could be affected by it, so no harm done. Now, I'm guessing you are ravenous now?"_

Before the little girl could say a thing, her stomach let out a growl that could be heard in Monaco, causing her to blush even harder. _ "Just a little bit, big brother."_

Harry smiled, hugging her again before standing and taking each of the girls' hands in his saying, _"Well it seems we need to get these ravenous beasts fed now, so I hope the food is ready?"_

_"Oh," _Apoline suddenly said with a wicked grin. _"Did I forget to mention Harry is completely immune to the allure?"_

_"Yes," _growled Anne. _"You let that one slide."_

_"Whoops!"_

Making their way into the dinning room, Harry was bombarded by questions from Michael and Anne. Had he always been immune? Was he aware how rare that was among non-Veela? Did he possibly have Veela ancestry? So on and so forth, of course he answered all their questions as honestly as possible. No, he had not always been immune, but he seemed to be now. He had no clue how rare that was, not that it really mattered considering how rarely he had ever encountered Veela prior to this summer. No, he had no Veela ancestry as far as he knew, but he would have to check the family records to be sure.

_"And you are positive you are completely immune?"_ asked Anne as they were finishing up their meal and enjoying coffee.

_"Well, Apoline tried to lay the whammy on me shortly after we met and all it did was make me blush," _replied Harry. _ "I've been around both girls during multiple accidental bursts and it's never really affected me. Well, I've felt bad for them after it happened, but that was mostly because they looked so upset by it. So, yes, I would have to say I am completely immune to it."_

_"As a mother I worry about these things," _Anne said after a moments contemplation. _"So, if you would not mind, I would like to test this myself, if you will allow?"_

_"Of course," _agreed Harry. _"Who am I to deny you anything, ma'am."_

His formal response had the adults, and Zoe, looking at him oddly for a moment. Then with a signal from Anne, three allures hit him at once. It was odd, but Harry could tell the source of each one of the sudden bursts of magic. Apoline's was warm and affectionate, much like the woman herself, but lacked any type of sexual urge at all. Anne on the other hand, well her's felt like a command to bow before her, yet also lacked anything even close to a sexual quality, though there was a demand for respect. Finally there was Zoe, and her's was the hardest to ignore because it was laced with so much sexual tension that Harry couldn't help but look at her. Still, that was the only reaction they got out of him, that one look directly at Zoe, but even that was with him still in full control of his senses.

_"Wow,"_ he said as the allure crashed upon his senses. _"You weren't kidding when you said you wanted to test me. That's some serious magic you three are pumping out."_

_"Amazing," _murmured Michael as he forced himself not to be affected by Apoline's allure, just as Pierre was doing the same to not be enthralled by Anne. _ "No blood relation to any of them, yet he throws it off as if it were barely a light summer breeze."_

Suddenly the "attack" was over and the three women were looking at Harry with utter shock. Even Apoline had thought he might crack under the combined power of three adult Veela and yet the most anyone got out of him was Zoe, with his looking at her. Anne was stunned, no she was downright amazed and in awe. It was a well known fact that her allure was one of the most powerful among the Veela race, yet here sat a young man that had brushed it off with no problems at all. Only her daughter had gotten a reaction out of him and barely one at that. As for Zoe, she was currently blushing like never before. She had pushed everything into her allure and Harry had just looked at her as calmly as could be, but in his eyes she had seen a depth of emotion that seemed to fill her very soul. No, he had not been affected, but she surely had been.

_"If you will excuse me for a moment," _she said, needing to get out of the room for a moment. _"I need to freshen up after so much effort."_

_"Girls, why don't you go with her," _suggested Harry, thought the adults could tell there was a hint of command in his voice. _ "When you get back maybe we can all go sit out on the veranda and enjoy the nice weather?"_

_"Okay!" _chorused the girls as they got up and pulled Zoe from the room.

Harry waited a moment, just until he was sure the girls were out of earshot, then he palmed his wand and cast a Mufuliato over the entire room. "Did I pass your test, Your Majesty? Because if I didn't, I need to know now so I can leave before the girls return. Oh, next time, check my history and you'll see I don't do well with people that try to manipulate me."

Harry's voice was deadly quiet and bitterly cold, almost making the adults in the room shiver with its intensity. The fact he had not even bothered to speak French was a clear indication that he was not in a good mood. Of course that could be backed up as the entire room started to thrum with the power that was pouring off of him. Apoline was completely ashamed of herself as she had been fully aware, having been informed by Fleur, that Harry HATED to be manipulated, yet she had done it anyway. Pierre also looked ashamed that he had not said anything to stop Anne's test, but she was a Queen, even if she was a guest in his hose just as Harry was. Michael on the other hand was impressed beyond measure. Not only had Harry stood up the power of three adult Veela having fully released their allure, he was now practically glowing with power as he stared down his wife. Which in his eyes was a good thing since he felt she needed to be knocked down a peg or two from time to time.

Now Anne for her part was a little afraid. She had instantly had her staff do a full background check on Harry when she learned he was associating with her daughters. All the reports had pointed to a young man that was wealthy beyond measure, related in some way to a very old royal family, the heir to another royal bloodline, and powerful enough to take down the Dark Wizard Voldemort with one spell. Of course they also mentioned how he was an extremely kind, honorable, and humble young man who would do anything to protect the people he cared about. Oh, let's not forget the five different sources that warned her that he did not react well to lies or manipulation. And she had just pissed him off if the fact that her hair was standing on end was any indication. There was no humble attitude present now, no, there was just righteous indignation and fury, all aimed at her.

_"Merde,"_ she whispered. _"Ive just made a proper mess of this, haven't I?"_

_"Yes, dear, you have," _answered Michael._ "And if you are very polite and ask him nicely, he may not turn you into a smoking pile of ash."_

_"Harry James Potter," _Anne said, her tone becoming firm and regal. _ "I, Queen Anne Marie Poisson do humbly ask your forgiveness for my rash actions against you? Can you forgive a mother for worrying about her daughters?"_

Harry took a deep breath, then let it out with a long sigh as he let his magic calm. Everyone noticed the drop in pressure as Harry's magic receded. His wand instantly vanished from sight and he stood, heading towards the door. Apoline feared she had just lost the trust of a young man she now thought of as a son. Pierre felt much the same, with his shame growing even greater. As for Michael and Anne, they were concerned they had just made an enemy that the Veela Nation might not be able to defend against.

"I forgive you," Harry said, his voice quiet and gentle now. "I just wont' forget."

They watched him walk out, hearing his footsteps growing fainter until they eventually heard the front door open and close softly. Apoline actually started to cry, turning to Pierre and burying her face in his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. Michael was slightly relieved that Harry had not stormed out and said he would forgive his wife's indiscretion, but part of him worried for the boy his daughters both seemed to care about. Anne for her part felt completely ashamed of herself. By all accounts gaining Harry Potter's friendship was a very special thing and yet she had just lost it before she had ever even gotten a chance to truly enjoy it.

_"What have you done, mother?" _demanded Zoe as she stormed back into the room. _"Gabrielle says she just saw Harry leaving. She and Aimee are in tears thinking it's something they have done, but I know better. He was fine when I left, so I can only assume you've done something foolish."_

_"Pierre," _Apoline said instantly, worrying about her daughter and Aimee. _"Go tell the girls that it was nothing they did."_

_"I'll help," _added Michael as he and Pierre rushed from the room, not wanting to be anywhere near an angry Veela, possibly three angry Veela, if this argument got out of hand.

_"Harry knows who I am, who we all are," _began Anne. _ "I also knew who he was before tonight. I had him investigated when I heard he was spending time with you girls. I respected your desire not to tell him of my position, or yours, but he already knew. Whether that is something new or not, I cannot say."_

_"Harry took the girls with him to see his account manager at Gringotts today,"_ supplied Apoline. _"I can only assume they informed him of the situation when they saw Aimee was with him."_

_"You let one of the heirs to my throne leave the country with a single boy to protect her?" _demanded Anne, her temper starting to flare. _ "Are you mad?"_

_"Oh relax, Anne," _countered Apoline, not even batting an eye at her friends rising temper. _"Take a look at the pendant your daughter is wearing, a gift from Harry. That thing has enough protective magic imbedded in it that she could walk into the middle of a war zone wearing bright orange, screaming 'kill me' and there isn't a damned thing they could do to harm her. She was safer with Harry today than she probably ever has been in her entire life. The funny thing is, even if she hadn't been wearing that pendant, I still would have let her go because I trust Harry and he would have destroyed anyone that even dared to think about harming her."_

_"He's just one boy!" _screamed Anne.

_"No, mother, he's Harry Potter," _countered Zoe, _"and if I know anything about him from the short time I've known him and the stories I've heard from Fleur and Gabrielle, it's that Harry does not give up, he does not lose, and he can do anything he sets his mind to. So, don't you call him a boy, because he's the best MAN I've ever met."_

With that she stormed out of the room, leaving Anne and Apoline staring were she had just been standing. _"You really messed this one up, Anne."_

_"I know," _agreed Anne. _"I didn't mean to, I just wanted to make sure my daughters were safe."_

_"The fact that I had already tested him and that I trust him with my daughter did not tell you what you needed to know?"_ asked Apoline after a moments silence.

_"Obviously I'm not as smart as I think I am,"_ groaned Anne. _"Now I've made one daughter cry, made the other angry, and I've pissed off the one man my eldest seems to think is worthy of her time. Oh, did I forget to mention he's got the power and money to buy my throne out from under me and the fact that he doesn't know it yet is probably the only reason I will still have a crown on my head tomorrow? Did I miss anything?"_

_"Yes, you forgot that he owns Camelot and the ancestral home of Lancelot du Lac,"_ supplied Apoline, wanting to drive the point in a little deeper.

_"Oh merde,"_ groaned Anne, dropping her head into her hands. _"This just keeps getting better and better."_

While Apoline was enjoying her friend realize just how big a mess she had made, Zoe was making her way over to Harry's chateau. A knock on the door was instantly answered by Mrs. Babcock who merely pointed towards the back of the house and the pool. Zoe rushed through the house until she burst through the back door. The sight that met her was both extremely scary and a little erotic. Harry was sitting cross legged on the surface of the water without a stitch of clothing on. His back was to her, but she could see the water rippling around him as his magic pushed down upon it to keep him on the surface. It was a meditation technique she had seen him reading about the other day, but it required more power than she thought anyone had these days. Obviously, she was wrong.

Now, faced with this situation, a naked and floating Harry Potter looking sexier than he had a right to, Zoe could only think of one thing to do, so she instantly stripped off her dress and undergarments, kicked her sandals off and dove into the water. It took her only a moment to reach him and as she surfaced she felt his magic wash over her skin with such a feeling of tenderness that she was rather grateful she was already in the water or her arousal would have been a little evident.

"'Arry," she whispered, causing his eyes to pop open. _"Are you alright?"_

She could feel his magic as it was pulled back inside him, leaving her feeling cold once it was gone. Slowly he lowered down into the water until he was dog paddling right in front of her. It was only once he was looking her directly in the eyes that she saw the look of hurt in his eyes. Without even thinking she was hugging him, feeling his magic pushing against the water to keep them both afloat as she wrapped him in her arms, propriety be damned.

_"I always hope that the adults around me will treat me with a bit of respect,"_ he whispered in her ear, causing her to shudder as his hot breath caressed her skin. _ "Thing is, they always disappoint me."_

_"Are you mad at me for not telling you that I'm a Princess?"_

_"No, of course not," _Harry reassured her. _"I get that part. You wanted to just be you for a while. That part makes sense. I'm not really even upset at your mother anymore. It's just a reoccurring theme in my life that I keep hoping will stop happening, adults doubting me, but it just keeps happening and I hate it. What do I have to do to get them to trust me?"_

_"Forget about my mother for right now, 'Arry," _Zoe said with a smile. _"In case you haven't noticed, I trust you, or else I wouldn't be here. I just ask one thing from you."_

_"What one thing would that be?"_ Harry asked, his guard going up a little.

Much to his surprise, Zoe suddenly leaned forward and kissed him. It was not a chaste kiss as you might give a friend or a family member. No, this was a KISS and he found himself kissing her back with all h was worth. How long they remained like that was a mystery as time had stopped for the two as they shared that eternal moment. When the finally did break apart, they locked eyes and smiled at each other, the goofy smile of two young people who were trying to fall in love.

_"All I ask is that you let me be just a girl," _Zoe whisprered. _"More importantly, let me be just your girl, that's all I ask."_

_"That I can do," _he replied before kissing her again.

* * *

AN: Formatting issue corrected on 10/4/12.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Coming Clean**

Time passes, it always does. It was now the say of Harry's birthday and he was looking forward to spending it with his new girlfriend. Yes, he and Zoe were now an official item after Anne and Michael had begged him to forgive them and to let them start over from scratch. It was a tense few moments before Harry agreed, but eventually he just couldn't remain mad at them for wanting to protect their daughters. So, with a massive cookout and the happy squealing of two pre-teen Veela, Harry had accepted their olive branch and blessing to date their eldest daughter. Talk about a busy summer.

Zoe and Harry had "officially" started their relationship with a a simple picnic on his beach under the full moon. Yes, Gabrielle and Aimee had been spying on them, but Harry had been a perfect gentleman the whole night. Then the weekend after that horrible first meeting with Anne and Michael, Harry had taken everyone to see his home in Monaco. It was a spectacular mansion and it really was right next door to Zoe's home, but Harry like his chateau in St. Tropez better.

The visit had also led to a discussion about the Veela Royal Court. As it turned out, Anne was not just the Queen of the Veela in France, she was the Queen of ALL the Veela enclaves across the world. This meant they palaces in most of the major countries of the world, allowing her to travel setup court anywhere she was most needed. Currently they were working out of a mansion in California while they dealt with the American Veela Enclave's problems with some local movie studios. As it turned out, there were several rather famous movie starlets that were Veela, but the studious were not paying them the same wages as their male counterparts. Anne was going to put a stop to that, one way or the other.

There had also been the private dinner between Harry, Apoline, and Pierre where they apologized for abusing Harry's friendship. Harry accepted their apologies and was actually touched when Apoline told him she thought of him as a son, as did Pierre. It was a bit overly emotional, but Harry had to agree that they were some of his closest friends and that he did indeed see them as role models, if not parental figures. This news later had Gabrielle telling everyone that she had a real big brother now.

After the visit to Monaco, Anne and Michael had been needed back in California, leaving the girls to enjoy the rest of their summer. This was fine by Harry as his relationship with Anne was still a bit strained, however Michael was an alright bloke, so that was a good start. Grabass had shipped out the first of seven cars from the Potter garage in England. It was a beautiful red Ferrari F50 and Harry was instantly in love with the car. Sadly, he had no idea how to drive the thing, so Pierre spent several days teaching Harry how to handle the beast of a machine.

"Thank God for magic," was all Harry could say after nearly wrecking the car on the first day.

Still, he eventually got a feel for driving it as it was a lot like flying, at least to him. Now there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't take the car out for a spin. Usually Zoe would accompany him on these drives, but occasionally one of the others would join him. It was fun for Harry to drive along the quiet stretches of road, especially with Zoe sitting next to him with her long hair blowing in the wind. It was brilliant.

Andromeda and Teddy had come for a day or two with Gabrielle and Aimee babysitting as the adults made a night of it in Monaco. Now that was fun, being treated like movie stars as they walked into a casino. Andromeda complained a little at first that it was too fancy, but having grown up as a Black, she soon fit right in. Harry walked out of the casino with his wallet a little lighter, but with Zoe holding onto his arm he felt it was money worth losing.

On a darker note, Harry had gotten two more letters from Ginny. The first was on the surface very giddy about their upcoming conversation about their relationship, as per his guess she thought he was going to propose. However, under all the giddy and childish ramblings was once again a sense that Harry should just agree to whatever Ginny had to say and be happy with it. She even went so far as to inform him that she had asked the neighbors on the northern side of the Burrow if they would sell their land to them, so they could build a house right next to her parents. Let's not forget she used his name as a bargaining tool with the elderly couple that lived there, or the fact she wanted him to give her permission to talk with the Goblins to get them a loan. Harry had written back immediately that under no circumstance would that be happening and then a follow up letter to Grabass to confirm that Ginny had no right to speak to them in his name.

That led to the second letter which was not so giddy and a lot more demanding. Ginny informed him that his "lazy attitude" had cost them the purchase of the property because she had not had his approval to take the money from his trust fund. Then she ranted for three pages about how irresponsible it was of him to be "lazing about Australia on Hermione's knut" while she was trying to prepare for their future. By the time he finished reading the damned thing, Harry's magic was already crisping the edges of it and he was ready to rip Ginny a new hole for all her shit to pour from. It was only Zoe's efforts at calming him down that eventually kept Harry from flooing to the Burrow and giving the "daft bint" a piece of his mind.

Trouble was also brewing between Hermione and Ron. The most recent letter from Hermione informed him that Mrs. Weasley had sent a howler to Ron demanding he advise Harry to return home to "take responsibility for Ginny." The fact that it had been worded almost as if Ginny was preggers was not missed by Ron or Hermione and it led to Ron wondering if maybe Harry had spent a bit too much time at the Burrow before they left. Hermione had defended Harry's honor, but Ron had gotten the stubborn idea Harry had taken advantage of his sister stuck in his head. Needless to say, Ron was now sleeping on the couch and Hermione was giving serious thought to their relationship.

That led us to today. Harry was currently taking a shower and wondering what Zoe had planned for the day. He knew there was going to be a party tonight, though he was supposed to act as if he was unaware. Gabrielle had let it slip a few days before, but swore Harry to secrecy about the whole thing. That was fine, Harry could deal with a party, though he wished Hermione and Ron could be here for it. Sadly, they would not be back for two more weeks and even then they would have a limited amount of time together before they returned to school.

"Harry," called Mrs. Babcock through the bathroom door. "There's a crying young woman on the floo for you. She says her name is Hermione Granger."

"Oh bollocks," groaned Harry. "This doesn't bode well for the day."

Quickly rinsing the last of the soap from his body, Harry turned off the shower and jumped out. Grabbing the black silk boxers he had laid out, he practically jumped into them and ran for the floo. As he skidded to a stop in front of the fireplace it was clear from Hermione's tear streaked face and red puffy eyes that she had not had a good day. He wanted to just scoop her up and hold her, but as his floo was not rated for International connections other then calls, that was not an option. All he could do was sit there and wonder what was going on.

"Oh, Harry!" she sobbed. "Ron's gone! We had a massive fight about everything and he left."

"Oh shite!" thought Harry before asking, "What happened?"

"We went out to eat tonight," she began, tears still pouring from her eyes. "We were trying to hash out this mess, at least I was. At first I thought Ron was starting to see reason, but then he suddenly asked if you and I had ever slept together. Of course I told him we hadn't had sex, but just wouldn't let it go. That's when it all came out, the fact that he hates the fact you've seen me without clothing and that yes we've shared a bed, even if there was nothing sexual involved."

"He knew that," Harry stated calmly. "I told him about our time in the tent and he said he was fine with it."

"He lied, Harry," sobbed Hermione. "He's been jealous all this time, but didn't want to say anything because he didn't want to be cut off from sex. That's all it was for him, just sex. He as much as admitted it to me tonight before he left. Told me that he always figured I was easy thanks to Ginny telling him I didn't wear anything under my robes at school. Now he's gone home to 'comfort his sister in her time of need.' He's absolutely convinced that she's carrying your child and hasn't even bothered to check with her to see if it's true."

"Right," growled Harry. "Seems the conversation I've been meaning to have with Ginny just reached the top of my to do list."

Hermione looked worried by that and started trying to talk him out of it. "No, Harry, you can't just run over there and make a scene!"

"Little too bloody late for that, Hermione," countered Harry. "Ron's probably already there, telling his side of the story to make himself look like with you and me being cast as the devils of his little drama."

Standing up, Harry started pacing back and forth. "Are you going to be alright there Hermione, or do you need me come get you early?"

Looking down at the embers below her face, Hermione nodded, saying, "I don't want to be here anymore. Mum and Da say they will wrap up the last of the details here and fly back in three weeks. I just don't think I can stay here though, not with all the things Ron said."

"Fine," agreed Harry. "Give me fifteen minutes to get an International portkey from the Goblins. I'll have their local branch bring it right to you. In the meantime, tell your parents you're coming here and that we'll see them in a few weeks back at their home. Alright?"

"Alright, Harry," Hermione said with a weak smile. "Thank you, Harry. Don't do anything until I get there. Promise me!"

"I promise, Hermione," Harry said with a half hearted smile. "I'll be waiting for you right here."

With that Hermione broke the connection and Harry called up Grabass. Within minutes the Goblin assured Harry that Hermione would be receiving her portkey to his home within Harry's timeframe. Next Harry called the Delacour household, explaining that an emergency had come up and he might not be home again until later in the day. Zoe was not present, but Apoline assured him that she would let the girl know as soon as possible. Harry felt bad about running off to deal with this, but he now felt that before he could commit to Zoe he was going to have to deal with Ginny and now Ron.

Running back up to his room, Harry quickly through on a pair of black slacks, black dress shirt, socks, shoes and belt. Grabbing his watch and wallet, Harry was running back downstairs just in time to catch Hermione as she appeared in his front entry way. She was a mess, that was a given. The poor girl looked like she hadn't stopped crying for days, with her eyes bloodshot, her nose running, and her clothes a mix and match of several different outfits. A second later and her trunk appeared behind them, not that Harry cared as he was too busy holding his sobbing best friend.

"There, there," he cooed into her ear. "You're here now and I'll make sure this is set right. Trust me."

"I just feel so used," sobbed Hermione. "He was just with me for a sure shag, like I'm some tart off the street."

Harry scooped Hermione up in his arms bridal fashion and carried her up to the room he had set aside for her. Walking over the the bed he laid her down, sitting down next to her and stroking her hair. Whether it was his touch, the time difference between Australia and France, or her emotions crashing down on her, Hermione was asleep in seconds. Pulling off the girl's shoes, he pulled the blankets over her and kissed her forehead.

"I'll make this right," he silently vowed as he looked down at her. "Of that you have my word."

Stalking out of the room, Harry headed for his office. It was here that he kept the permanent portkey provided him by the Goblins. The portkey was intended to make it easier for him to travel between his home in St. Tropez and Grimmauld place and had cost him a pretty penny to have crafted. Now it was going to be his ticket to some very well deserved retribution and a long overdue conversation. Activating the portkey, Harry was quickly on his way to Grimmauld Place.

He was a little shocked by the condition of the old Black household. The place was cleaner than he had ever seen it before. He tried calling for Kreacher, but there was no response. That could just mean that the elf was busy, or it could mean something else. Heading out of the parlor where he had arrived, Harry headed for the little room he had given to Kreacher. Oddly the room was empty, completely empty, so he headed back towards the old water heater where Kreacher had used to sleep. Still no sign of Kreacher. Harry tried calling for him several more times with no response.  
"He's not here," said one of the portraits of a long dead Black ancestor.

Harry could not remember the name of the old woman, but that didn't mean he couldn't be polite. "Can you tell me where he's gone off to?"

"The rubbish heap, I would guess," replied the portrait. "When the Goblins arrived to begin renovations he was thrilled to be having the help. Sadly, when they took down Walburga's portrait he just suddenly fell over dead. The Goblins think she may have tied the sticking charm to keep it on the wall to his magic. It's a shame, training a new house elf is always so bothersome."

"I wonder why Grabass never mentioned it to me," wondered Harry, saddened by the news of the old elf's death.

"It was just a house elf," replied the portrait. "It's not like it was very important. They probably chucked it in the bin and forgot about it.

Harry hoped that wasn't the case as Kreacher had been a great help when they were hiding out here and afterwards when he returned to live here. The elf may have been crazy, but he was a friend to Harry when he needed it. He felt badly that he had left the elf alone when he went on his vacation, but Kreacher had assured him it was fine and that Harry should go enjoy himself. In fact, those had been the last words Kreacher had ever spoken to him.

"Master should be having a life outside this house," Kreacher had said with a smile. "Kreacher has been alone much longer than a summer, but is thinking Master has been alone much longer. Go, Master needs his days in the sun."

Not bothering to continue speaking with the rather repugnant woman in the portrait, Harry headed for the front door. He made a mental not to have that particular portrait destroyed and a look at the rest of them to see if any more of the hateful things needed to go. Maybe they should be sent to the rubbish heap and see how they like it. Stepping out the door and making sure it was fastened behind him, Harry aparrated to the edge of the Burrow wards.

That was a part of what he had done when paying off the Weasley debts, paying Bill to erect the best wards he could. Bill had tried to decline the money, but Harry knew that some of the better wards required expensive materials to sustain them over time. This was what Harry was actually paying for, at least that's what he told Bill. Actually, he was paying for Bill and Fleur to take a long overdue honeymoon, but that was not for the young couple to know about until it was already too late. Bill was one of the few Weasleys, other than George, to ever thank him for something.

Walking towards the Burrow, looking more like an approaching storm than a visitor, Harry could feel his temper and magic spiking. If the slight magical wind that stirring up dust and leaves around him was an indication, the Weasleys might want to run. Still, he would not hurt anyone, well other than Ron, but they were still somewhat family. Sort of. Maybe.

"Oh who the hell am I kidding," growled Harry as he watched Mr. Weasley open the door to welcome him.

"Harry!" greeted Mr. Weasley with a wide grin and genuine affection. "It's so good to have you home after so long!"

"Harry!" screeched a voice from inside, followed a moment later as Ginny knocked her father out of the way in her mad dash to reach him. "Oh, it's so good to have you home at last! I don't care what shite Ron is spewing, I know you would never sleep with that tramp Granger. You love me too much for that! It's all over now though and you'll never see that bint again, will you."

Now, if you've ever seen footage of the atomic tests in New Mexico during the 1940's, you will note that just prior to the explosion, everything looked peaceful. You would also notice that a millisecond after the detonation, it looked as if Hell had just been recreated on Earth. Well, that was exactly what it looked like a split second after Ginny called Hermione a "tramp." A moment later when she called her a "bint," well that was just the second detonation. The scary thing is, Ginny didn't even notice when Harry's magic literally blew her off her feet and through the door to the Burrow. Everyone else did, but Mr. Weasley who was standing right there, actually heard her continue to berate Harry as she flew through the air.

Ginny didn't realize anything was wrong until she felt something hit her in the back and then looked up through the dust and flying debris at the ceiling of the Burrow's kitchen. As she tried to figure out why she was laying on the floor of her kitchen, she watched Ron run past her, only for him to fly over her and crash into the fireplace a moment later. Now she was really confused. Why would Ron be flying in the house? Sitting up, she looked over at what used to be their door, but was now a mass of broken glass and wood. With Harry clearly visible a few yards out in the yard.

"Harry," she yelled as she sat up. "What happened, who attacked us. You need to find them and stop them."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Ron groaned from what had been their fireplace but was now a pile of loose stone and ash.

"Harry!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley as she rushed downstairs to see what the noise was. "What's the meaning of this!"

"I'll tell you what the meaning of this is," growled Harry, stalking towards the house like a feral beast out for blood. "The meaning of this is your son and daughter talking trash about Hermione! I was going to be calm about this whole thing, but I think we're past that point now, don't you? Because it seems to me that my attempt to give Ron and Hermione some time alone has completely blown up in my face!"

"Calm down, Harry," pleaded Mr. Weasley. "Just tell us what's going on. I'm sure we can resolve this without tearing my house down."

Taking a deep breath, Harry began to speak. "For you, Mr. Weasley, I'll explain myself. You see, I never went with Ron and Hermione on their little trip. No, Hermione told me she wanted the time alone with Ron to give their relationship a chance to work. So, being the 'nice guy' that I am, I agreed to let everyone think I would be traveling with them. While they prepared to leave, I was actually studying for my NEWTS which I then took and passed with full marks. Then once they were gone, I hung around Grimmauld Place for a week before I decided that I would use the time to check out some of my properties around the world, a vacation so to speak. I left about a week after Ron and Hermione did, moving into one of my properties in the south of France."

Ginny was fuming now, as was Mrs. Weasley, though for different reasons. Ginny was angry that Harry hadn't asked her to go with him, as she felt he should as her future husband. Mrs. Weasley was fuming because her son had gone traipsing off with a floozy to do who knows what with. These reactions did not go unnoticed by Harry or Mr. Weasley, nor did the groaning Ron was doing as he heard Harry reveal the truth about his little trip before he had a way to spin it in is favor.

"You went to the south of France without me!" shrieked Ginny. "How could you leave your fiancee behind like that? Of all the callous behavior. You're just lucky I'm the forgiving sort or we would not still be getting married, but I promise you this, that type of behavior will not be tolerated from now on!"

As Ginny was screaming, Mrs. Weasley was having a go as well with, "Harry Potter! How dare you leave the country without my permission! It's bad enough you helped that scarlet woman to have her way with my innocent son, but to just go galavanting off with no concern for your family and future wife, that is unacceptable!"

"Oh bloody hell," moaned Mr. Weasley as the Weasley women ranted and raved. "I'm not going to have a house to live in by the time they get done."

Ron on the other hand, having finally dug himself out from under the remains of the fireplace was looking at his friend and realizing that it might be a good time to run like a scared little bitch.

"Shut up," growled Harry, and the sheer force of his magic was enough to shut both Weasley women up. "I don't need your permission to do anything, Ginny. Last time I checked we were not dating, nor had we even discussed resuming our relationship. In fact, we've not even spoken face to face since Fred's funeral, so what the fuck gave you the idea that we were getting married, let alone dating?"

Ginny tried to speak, she really did, but Mr. Weasley had cast a silencing spell on her along with a binding spell to keep her from going for her wand when Harry turned to confront his wife. "And you, Mrs. Weasley! Same bloody question for you! What gave you the impression I was dating Ginny again or that I needed your permission to go anywhere? Last time I checked I was an adult in the Magical World and as of today I am one in the Muggle World as well, so why should I need your permission to go see one of my properties?"

Turning back to Ginny, not seeing that Mr. Weasley had silenced and bound his wife as well, Harry continued with his dressing down of the two women. "I've been reading your letters all summer and I have to say, they were proof that I did the right thing in breaking up with you. I swear, I'm sick of you telling me where I'm going to live and work for the rest of my life, don't even get me started on your assumption that I'm just going to hand my money over to you to do with as you like. Did it ever once occur to you that I might want to play Quidditch for a living as well, rather than work at the Ministry as an Auror? No? Not surprising as you were too busy mapping out your future career as a star chaser to even bother to ask me what I might want out of life int he future."

Ginny was fighting against the binding and silencing spells now, her face having gone a brilliant shade or purple that would have made Harry's uncle proud. "No, there will be no marriage, no properties you buy with my money, nor at this point even a friendship between us. Grow the fuck up you silly little bint!"

What was once a bright purple turned chalk white as all the blood drained form Ginny's face. She had never sen Harry this mad and had never heard him call any woman a derogatory word, not even his aunt. So, for him to call her a bint and state so firmly that they were no longer even friends was something of a shock to her. Her father never acted like that towards her mother, her mother would not have allowed it. Yet right now she was silenced and bound in place by her father and if she wasn't mistaken, he was actually nodding in agreement with Harry.

"And then we have Ron," roared Harry as he turned to focus on his former best friend. "It seems you decided that Hermione, someone that I consider my very best friend in all the world because she has never once betrayed me or turned her back on me, was an easy shag! You fucking little wanker, she loved you and you treated her like that? It's only the respect I have for your father that I don't turn you into a gay ferret and ship you off to the Malfoy's for Draco to have fun with. You knew damned well that she and I had never had sex, yet you accuse her or it? Then you accuse me of knocking up your sister because your mother can't write a proper letter? What is wrong with you?"

Ron chose to remain silent, seeing as how Harry currently had a visible aura of magic surrounding him and his eyes were glowing like emerald stars in his face. It could have also been the fact that he had just shat himself from the sheer force of Harry's magic. Though deep down he knew it was because Harry was right and he was wrong. He knew this wasn't going to go well when he got home and Ginny denied being pregnant or of having ever more then kissing Harry. Then he remembered what he had said to Hermione, about her and Harry, and even though it was said thoughtlessly in a moment of anger he knew it would destroy what was left of his friendship with Harry. Finally, he had pushed Harry too far and there would be no forgiveness this time. No, not this time.

"I've always respected you, Mr. Weasley," Harry was saying as Ron focused back on the conversation. "I thank you for everything you've ever done for me, but I think it best if I distance myself from your family for the time being."

"I understand, Harry," agreed Mr. Weasley, looking heartbroken that things gotten so out of control. "I want you to know, I do not hold this against you and that if you ever need me, I will be there for you."

"Thank you, sir," replied Harry with a smile. "That means more to me than you will ever know."

Turning and walking away from the Burrow, four people watched Harry Potter walk out of their lives, each with a different thought in their head.

"He's no right to walk away from me like that!" Ginny ranted in her mind. "He's mine and always will be! He'll see when no one else ever loves him like I do! He'll be back!"

Much to Ginny's annoyance, Harry never did come back. She would read about his life, what little of it was actually mentioned in the papers as he spent so much of his time either out of the country or safely behind wards to powerful for the press to get through, but there was never an indication he regretted leaving her. After school Ginny tried to start a professional Quidditch career, but without Harry's name connected to hers in some fashion, no one really took an interest in her. She spent five years playing on a no name scrub team as a backup to the reserve team, never once actually playing in a real match. Finally she "retired" and got a job working in the sports department of the Daily Prophet writing up game statistics for professional gobstone competitions. Till the day she died, still single and completely alone, Ginny was sure that one day Harry would come back to her, but he never did.

Mrs. Weasley's thoughts were no less angry. "That ungrateful little whelp! After everything I've done for him, he dares talk to me like that! I swear, as soon as I get free I'm going to give Arthur and then him a piece of my mind and he's going to be begging me to forgive him! Then I'll deal with that rebellious streak he's developed! Oh no, he's not going to be living under my household with an attitude like that."

Truer words were never expressed, though Mrs. Weasley was not to realize that for quite some time. In fact, she would never speak to Harry again, not even years later on her death bed as she begged Arthur to bring her "seventh son" to see her. The fact that she was even then telling people that if only he admitted he was wrong that she would forgive him might have had something to do with it. Goblin wards would prevent her howlers from reaching him and as he never got rid of that "rebellious streak" of his, he would never even darken the doorstep of the Burrow again.

"I've just lost the only friends I ever really had," was Ron's only thought.

Ron Weasley would remember those words for the rest of his short life. After finishing Hogwarts with the bare minimum NEWTS to pass, his father was able to get him a job working in his department at the Ministry. Barely two years later he was killed when an illegally charmed vacuum cleaner exploded when he tried to take it back to the ministry. The only people to come to his funeral were his family as Ron had long since run off anyone else that might have ever cared for him. It would be a lackluster ending to a rather lackluster life.

As for Arthur Weasley, well he was tired of the way things were going in his life, mostly due to his wife's domineering attitude. Things would take a drastic turn in his life after that day, with him laying down a new set of rules in his household and taking back control of the family finances. He would be very shocked to find out how much money Molly had wasted on bad investments over the years, all the while telling him all the money was going to pay off their debts. The fact that he later discovered Harry had paid those same debts and Molly had used the money he gave her to buy expensive new clothes for Ginny would be the final straw for him. From that day on it was Mrs. Weasley who was the meek and mild wife, while Arthur became the strong family leader the family had always needed. Oddly, after he took control of their money the Weasleys suddenly had a surplus of galleons at the end of ever month.

"Goodbye, Harry, my son in all but blood," Arthur thought as he watched Harry apparate away. "May your life be filled with all the happiness and love you deserve."

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AN: Formatting corrected on 10/4/12.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Birthday Suits**

It was only slightly after noon when Harry arrived back at his home, for that is what he now thought of it as, his home. He had made a quick trip to Gringotts to make sure no one in the Weasley family had access to his accounts and with the exception of George paying monthly profits into it, that was the case. He also asked why Grabass had not notified him of Kreacher's passing, only to be informed it had only happened the day before, and not several weeks in the past as the portrait had insinuated. Grabass confirmed that Kreacher had been laid to rest according to house elf tradition, with his ashes being spread across the lawn at Grimmauld place to make sure he was always there to watch over the family.

That resolved, Harry returned home and headed up to check on Hermione. True to form she had managed to strip bare and was currently spread eagle on the top of her covers. Harry had to laugh at the sight before he tucked her back under the blankets and left her to sleep. He left orders with Mrs. Babcock notify him once she was awake and that until then he was going to talk with Zoe. That done, he made his way towards the Delacour home in serious need of some family comfort and his girlfriends soothing presence.

Zoe was amazing that day, realizing that something was wrong she had dragged Harry to her room and the two of them had cuddled, speaking in whispers for the rest of the afternoon. He told her everything that had happened and cried as he expressed how hurt he was that people he had cared about so much could act like that. She just stroked his back as he clung to her and cried, letting him drift off to sleep for a while before she dragged them both out the the beach to swim and forget about the horrible morning he had had.

Hermione finally woke up around five that afternoon and proceeded to walk bare as the day she was born through the house and out to the beach were Harry and Zoe were lounging. With a raised eyebrow Zoe watched as the naked crying young woman crawled onto Harry's lap and sobbed for a good thirty minutes as he told her about the events at the Weasley's and how she was now welcome to stay with him as long as she wanted. That seemed to cheer Hermione up, at least enough to get her to stop crying and kiss Harry on the cheek.

Hermione finally admitted that she did not want to return to Hogwarts, she couldn't bare the idea of returning and being forced to see Ron every day, let alone be reminded of all their adventures there with him. Zoe pointed out that if she wanted, her mother could probably put a good word in for Hermione and get her into Beauxbatons for her last year. That led to a rather embarrassing moment when a still naked Hermione glomped the young Veela woman, never once caring about her state of undress. This lead to Hermione asking why on Earth Zoe was wearing a bathing suit on a private beach and said girl then agreeing and ditching said bathing suit.

Somedays it was good to be Harry Potter.

That night they had a fabulous time at Harry's "surprise" party. Zoe and Hermione hit it off immediately, going so far as Hermione wearing one of Zoe's dresses to the event. Hermione also made fast friends with Apoline, Pierre, Michael, and even Anne. Aimee and Gabrielle were calling her their big sister by the end of the night and asking if she wanted to sleep over sometime. Hermione passed, not knowing the girls spent most their nights sleeping at Harry's house, but she still thanked them for the offer. Little did Harry know, but Hermione's casual attitude towards nudity in the confines of her home would rub off on both girls and Zoe over the remainder of the summer. Harry finally had to buy robes for Aimee and Gabrielle to wear when not in their room or on the beach. Mr. Babcock and his son thanked him for that.

Yes, the rule about nudity on the beach was thrown right out the window the day after Hermione's arrival. With the liberal application of sun blocking charms, only Harry and Pierre ever seemed to wear more than a smile. Even Apoline got into the act, something that had Harry blushing for the first few days. Still, Harry got used to it eventually and came to realize that it was perfectly natural for the girls, so who was he to complain. Oh, and yes, Hermione was just as smooth as she claimed to be. A fact that was proven when she joined him in bed several nights after her arrival. No, they had not done anything sexual together, but it was hard.

Time passed and the summer ended as all summers do. Gabrielle and Aimee made their way off to start at Beauxbatons while Hermione chose to finish her education via self study. Harry found it hilarious to find a starkers Hermione in the library on a daily basis pouring over her texts and throughly enjoying the freedom she had to study as she liked. Zoe stayed with them as well, she had finished school the year before and was now in the process of studying political treaties and such to prepare her for her future as the Queen of the Veela. Oddly, she too had taken to studying in the nude, which Harry could not complain about at all.

With the fall arriving, Harry and the ladies decided it was time to look into a winter home for them. Grabass informed him that Kamaloth had been fully repaired and the ladies decided that would be their winter home from now on. The fact that Harry had yet to find out why everyone was in such awe that he owned the place had not escaped him, but every time he thought to ask someone he got distracted by one thing or another. So, that October they officially moved into the beautiful castle. It was truly a breathtaking place and Harry loved it almost as much as he did his chateau.

A week before Christmas, Harry asked permission to marry Zoe and was rather surprised that he got such an immediate and resounding yes out of Anne. That out of the way, Harry proposed to Zoe on Christmas Eve, surrounded by his entire "family" made up of the Delacours, Bill and Fleur were there as well, Zoe's parents and Aimee, Hermione, and Andromeda and Teddy. It was an emotional moment as Harry dropped to one knee and asked for Zoe's hand, topped off by him being tackled to the ground by the excited young woman. He took that as a yes to his proposal.

Gabrielle and Aimee were almost as excited as he was in the days that followed. Gabrielle explained that now Harry would really be related to her and that was just as good as him really being her big brother. Aimee on the other hand KNEW Harry would be her brother now and that he would always be there to protect her. The fact that Harry had set aside permanent rooms for both girls in all of his homes just sealed the deal for them.

Now, you might ask where this left Hermione in all this as she had grown quite close to Harry over the years and Zoe in the time she had known her. Well it's a funny thing really, because Zoe and she had a very long conversation one afternoon while Harry was dealing with financial matters at Gringotts. It was a very tired and frustrated Harry that stumbled into his room that night, not bothering to turn on the lights as he stripped and flopped down on his bed. It came as something of a surprise to him to realize there was already someone in his bed, two someones to be precise. Needless to say, he was far less frustrated the next morning and Hermione was now an official part of his life. Zoe it turned out was a very open minded young woman and as Harry needed to restore the Black family as well as the Potter family, Hermione became the Lady Black to Zoe's Lady Potter. It was all a political sham, but on paper Harry was two people, so why not two wives? No one in the family even blinked an eye at it, save Gabrielle who admitted she had rather hoped she might fill that position someday.

More time passed and spring rolled round. Harry made his official debut as the consort to the heir to the Veela Throne. It was also the last time he appeared in that capacity. Zoe had discussed the issue with her parents and sister at some length, deciding eventually that she would rather be Lady Potter than Queen. Aimee was rather blasé about the situation, insisting she would only do it on one condition, though Harry was not told what that condition was. It was agreed upon and his first and only outing as the consort to the Princess was at the announcement that she would not be taking the crown. The fact that when she announced she would be living with Harry as his wife at Kamaloth seemed to shut all the nay sayers right up. He really needed to find out why they acted that way when Kamaloth was mentioned.

On June 1, Harry's wedding announcement hit the papers in England. Bill would later tell Harry that Ginny had fainted the moment she saw it and Mrs. Weasley went on a week long rant about how Harry hadn't even asked her permission. Several days later another announcement was made in the legal section of the Prophet that the heir to the Black family would be marrying that summer. No one paid it any mind as no one save a few senile old farts read the legal notices anyway.

On the 17th of June, 1999, one year to the day that Harry began his vacation, he stood before a Veela Cleric and said his vows first to Zoe and then to Hermione. Their honeymoon was spent back at his chateau for the two weeks before the Delacour family would arrive to take up residence in their place for the summer. It was a glorious two weeks filled with laughter, love, and all the happiness that Harry could ever imagine. When the rest of his "family" arrived two weeks later, Harry thought it just couldn't get any better. He was wrong.

Ten years later Zoe gave birth to his first son, James Michael Potter. A year after that, Hermione gave birth to his second son, Sirius Pierre Black. Apoline and Pierre moved into Kamaloth that winter and now traveled with them every chance they got with their newest daughter, Angelique, who had been born ten months after Harry's first arrival in St. Tropez. Gabrielle was now a stunningly beautiful woman who some said rivaled even Zoe's appeal. Then there was Aimee who true to Harry's predictions had grown into a very beautiful woman. As for Anne and Michael, they were debating on stepping down and turning the crown over the Aimee when she turned thirty, but that was still up in the air.

James and Sirius were followed by Jeanne Antoinette Potter and Simon Alexander Black. Then there was Marcus Christopher Potter and Michelle Renee Black. Two years later Aimee assumed the Veela throne and ten months later she gave birth to her heirs, twin girls Mia and Joan Poisson. As it turned out, her condition for assuming the throne was that Harry be the father of her children. This as it turned out was not such a big deal as Harry thought it would be and who was he to turn down a young woman that admitted she had been in love with him since the moment she first laid eyes on him. It was also the reason she took the throne earlier than originally planned as she "needed Harry now, and not in several more years."

Gabrielle also let her feelings be known about that same time. She had taken the fashion world by storm after graduating from Beauxbatons. First as a model on the runways of Paris, then as a designer, Gabrielle's name was known far and wide in non-magical world. The Magical world was still a bit behind the times, but even there she was well known for her daring robes and hats. Retiring from the public eye at the ripe old acre of twenty-eight, she settled down in Kamaloth with the rest of her family and gave birth to a daughter, Miranda Lily Potter. You can guess who the father was.

Nineteen years to the day that he first arrived in St. Tropez, Harry FINALLY found out why everyone was so in awe of Kamaloth, better known as Camelot. Even Grabass had a good laugh as Harry collapsed to the ground, landing firmly on his butt, and looking like he had just been hit by a mackerel to the side of the head. This led to a years worth of investigation into the true history of the castle and the discovery that yes, his family was descended from Arthur Pendragon. Talk about a wow moment in his life. It took a while to fully comprehend all the famous, and infamous, people he was distantly related to, but eventually he did accept it and move on. Oh, he decided not to lay claim to the throne of England since it would be too much hassle to deal with all the tabloids. Harry and the special ladies in his life celebrated the event with a drink from an old chalice he found in the vaults of the King's tower. Oddly, then didn't have a hangover the next morning, or ever again.

On the twenty year anniversaries of his marriages, Harry held a private party for all his friends and family. There were all of his children, his wives, Aimee and Gabrielle, Teddy and his girlfriend Victoire Weasley, the daughter of Bill and Fleur. Neville and his wife Hannah came. Then Luna showed up, though her husband had been unable to attend. There were many others, more than he could count, all filling Kamaloth's grand ballroom as Harry stood at the center of dance floor with his wives on either side of him.

"Tweny-one years ago I was feeling lost," Harry said with a voice that carried around the room. "I had just defeated Tom Riddle but was at a loss for what to do next. Hermione had gone off to retrieve her parents and I was left sitting twiddling my thumbs, when I decided I need a vacation. It was the best decision I ever made. I may have been lost that summer, but what I found was so much more than I could have ever hoped for."

Time would continue to pass and eventually Harry Potter and his ladies would pass into legend. Some people say he and his ladies are long dead, though no grave has ever been found with his name on it. Other's say that Harry was accepted into Avalon to rule alongside Arthur, with Merlin as their advisor. No one really knows for sure. Oddly, every summer there is a chateau just south of St. Tropez where a young man and four beautiful young ladies come to stay, to love, and to continue a vacation started a long time ago.

**The End**

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AN: Formatting corrected on 10/4/12.

Story was written in little less than 48 hours when I was spending time with someone who likes to borrow my socks. I wrote it quick, did not have it beta'd and you will either like it or you won't. Thing is, I wrote it for me and since I enjoyed it, that's all that really matters.

I recently attempted a "better" version of this story that may or may not ever see the light of day. I got 5 chapters into it and realized I'd forgotten where I wanted it to go in the first place. Oh well, thanks for all the reviews on this one and I really hope you all enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading!

Chris :)

Chris


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